How Massage Helps Heal Muscles and Relieve Pain

What Are Muscle Aches?

Muscle aches are also known as muscle pain, myalgia, or simply pain in the muscles. Muscle aches are extremely common. Almost everybody has likely experienced discomfort in his or her muscles at some point.

Because almost every part of the body has muscle tissue, this type of pain can be felt practically anywhere. According to the Mayo Clinic, it usually affects a small number of muscles at a time, although myalgia throughout the body is possible (Mayo Clinic, 2010).

What Are the Most Common Causes of Muscle Aches?

Often, people who experience muscle aches can easily pinpoint the cause. This is because most instances of myalgia result from too much stress, tension, or physical activity. Some common causes include:

• muscle tension in one or more areas of the body

• overusing the muscle during physical activity

• injuring the muscle while engaging in physically demanding work or exercise (muscle sprains and strains are both injuries that can cause muscle aches and pain)

What Types of Medical Conditions Can Cause Muscle

Pain?

Not all muscle aches are related to stress, tension, and physical activity. Some medical explanations for myalgia include:

• fibromyalgia

• infections, such as the flu

• lupus

• use of certain medications or drugs, such as statins, ACE inhibitors, or cocaine

• dermatomyositis (marked by inflammation and a rash)

• polymyositis (marked by inflammation and tenderness)

Easing Muscle Aches at Home

Muscle aches often respond well to home treatment. Some measures you can take to ease any muscle discomfort from injuries and overuse include:

• resting the area of the body where you are experiencing aches and pains

• taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as ibuprofen

• applying ice to the affected area to help relieve pain and ease inflammation

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you should use ice for one to three days following the strain or sprain. Apply heat for any pain that remains after three days (NIH, 2011).

Other measures that may provide relief from muscle pain due to a variety of causes include:

• gently stretching the muscles

• avoiding high-impact activities until after the muscle pain goes away

• avoiding weight-lifting sessions until the muscle pain is resolved

• giving yourself time to rest

• doing stress-relieving activities and exercises such as yoga and meditation to relieve tension

When Muscle Aches Should Be Addressed at a Doctor’s Office or Hospital

Muscle aches are not always harmless, and in some instances, home treatment is not enough. Myalgia can also be a sign that something is seriously wrong in your body.

You should see your doctor for:

pain that does not go away after a few days of home treatment severe muscle pain if you are unsure of the cause muscle pain that occurs along with a rash muscle pain that occurs after a tick bite myalgia accompanied by redness or swelling pain that occurs soon after a change in the medications you take

The following can be a sign of a medical emergency. Get to the hospital as soon as possible if you experience any of the following along with aching muscles:

• a sudden onset of water retention and/or a reduction in urine volume

• difficulty swallowing

• vomiting and/or running a fever

• trouble catching your breath

• stiffness in your neck area

• muscles that are weak

• inability to move the affected area of the body

How Massage Helps Heal Muscles and Relieve Pain

The word massage alone elicits deep relaxation and stress relief, and now a new study sheds light on how deep touch works to ease pain and promote healing in sore muscles.

Researchers at McMaster University in Canada found that massage affects the activity of certain genes, directly reducing inflammation in muscles — the same result you’d get by taking aspirin or ibuprofen — and boosting their ability to recover from exercise.

The study involved 11 young men who were willing to engage in what the researchers described as “exhaustive aerobic exercise” — the equivalent of an intense spinning class. The men rode stationary bikes to the point of exhaustion.

After the workout, each man received a 10-minute Swedish-style massage on only one leg; the other leg served as the control. They also had biopsies taken from their leg muscles before and after exercise, immediately after massage and then again two and a half hours later.