3 Ways To Speed Up Muscle Strain Recovery
A muscle strain can put a strain on your day-to-day activities. Strains can happen in any muscle, but they most commonly occur in the neck, shoulders, lower back, and hamstrings after overexertion. A strained muscle can take anywhere from three to six weeks to heal.
Luckily, we have a few tips and tricks you can use at home to help speed up your recovery.
3 Tips To Help Speed Up Muscle Strain Recovery
You have a busy life, and the last problem you need on your plate is a debilitating muscle strain.
Follow these three tips to help expedite your muscle strain recovery.
1. Ice
Ice is a great way to reduce swelling. Applying ice or a cold compress can help alleviate inflammation because the temperature constricts blood vessels and blood flow is minimized. Remember to never apply ice directly to the skin. Always wrap ice or a cold compress in a towel before applying.
2. Heat Therapy
After you’ve finished applying your cold compress, it’s time to apply heat. Heat reintroduces blood flow, keeps your muscles loose, and helps further reduce swelling and inflammation. Heating pads and warm towels are great ways to introduce heat into your recovery process, but the best way is with a heated massage chair.
3. Exercises & Stretching
After your cold and hot treatments, you should start implementing some exercises and stretches into the mix. Staying active is one of the best ways to keep your muscles loose and avoid stiffness. Practice low-impact exercises and stretches like leg and arm swings to get back into the swing of things.
What Helps Muscle Strains Heal Faster?
Ice, heat, and time are the best healers when paired with light exercise. If you’re trying to speed things up, you can introduce massage therapy into your recovery process. For example, if you have a pulled leg muscle, you can use a heated knee, calf, or foot massager to tackle the affected area.
If your strain is mild to moderate, you can take pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medications to help alleviate the pain. For severe strains or tears, surgical treatment may be necessary. Talk to your doctor about what anti-inflammatory medication is right for you.
How Physical Therapy Helps Muscle Strain Recovery
Combined with at-home treatments, physical therapy by a professional physical therapist can help aid and eliminate the pain of a muscle strain. When you choose OSR Physical Therapy, you’re choosing a well-versed team of experts who use manual techniques and therapeutic exercises to help you regain range of motion, strength, and overall muscle improvement.
Read More: Pulled Groin vs Hernia: How to Tell the Difference
Massage Therapy for Muscle Strains at OSR
Massage therapy is ideal for those looking to speed up a muscle strain or sprain. The team at OSR Physical Therapy commonly uses massage therapy to promote tissue healing—so you can get back to living your best life.
Make your muscles happy and decrease the chances of a future strain, sprain, or rupture with professional massage therapy from OSR. Contact us or request an appointment through our easy online form.