Being physically active is a must when it comes to maintaining optimal brain health, managing your weight, and reducing the risk of diseases. From strengthening the bones and muscles to improving your ability to do the most mundane of tasks, working out is one the few lifestyle choices that have a huge hold on your overall health. But just as much as the masses have gained a thorough understanding of the consequences of sedentary living, the side effect of experiencing soreness at times can be off-putting. This is especially so for those who are new to exercise or trying out a new workout regimen. While this is part and parcel of leading a healthy lifestyle, the discomfort experienced can affect how one continues with their fitness plan.

The Causes of Sore Muscles

In the fitness community, it is thought that if your workout from yesterday is making your muscles sore today, it should be taken as a good sign. This is because the pain you’re experiencing is known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which indicates that you’ve worked out hard enough to create microscopic tears in your muscle fibres and the surrounding connective tissues. This usually happens after you’ve used your muscles in a way that they have simply not been used to. This could result from increasing your workout intensity, frequency, or length, or trying out a new routine. Due to the new stress that the body is being put under, it adapts to this novel change by triggering a process of repairing the muscle damage, which as a result, increases the strength and thickness of the affected muscle fibres.

However, this is not to be confused with muscle pain that is caused by an injury, infection, disease, or underlying health conditions. Soreness is often experienced as dull aches and muscle weakness that start 24 to 72 hours after exercising and the discomfort gradually goes away. Furthermore, if it’s an injury, the discomfort will be expressed as sharp, persistent pains, whether you’re resting or active. And if the pain persists for one to two weeks, you’ll want to visit a doctor for further advice rather than attempt to soothe it at home.

Is it Okay to Exercise with Sore Muscles?

As mentioned, experiencing muscle soreness after a workout is completely normal and the discomfort will dissipate after some time. However, the decision to continue with your workout regime depends on the severity of the soreness and the symptoms you are experiencing. In general, the answer as to whether you can exercise with sore muscles is yes! While you might need to take some time off and let your body rest before putting it through another intense workout, there are many workouts that you can do that will still give your body ample time to recover. As a matter of fact, active recovery exercises like stretching and walking can be beneficial to sore muscles. You can also work out a different muscle group that is not hurting. For example, if your legs are sore from a workout, you can exercise your upper body the next time around instead.

What to Do for Sore Muscles from Working Out

To prevent DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), there are several things you can do. Post-workout, you can cool down to bring your body back to its resting state. This will allow for the built-up lactic acid that causes the burning feeling in your muscles to be cleared out of your system so that you can bounce back faster on your next workout. Increasing your resistance so that your muscles gradually adapt to your new workout plan is also another way to mitigate the risk of experiencing sore muscles after exercising. Some of the other ways to ease those lingering aches as you get back up to speed include:

1. Resting and Recovering

While the mantra “no pain, no gain” will probably always stay true amongst athletes and fitness lovers, it cannot be denied that rest days are crucial to recovery. By taking a day off, you give your body a chance to repair itself and replenish all the lost energy. When designing a workout plan, consider adding a rest day where you’ll only have to do light exercises or simply not do any workouts at all.

2. Icing and Heat Therapy

If you are able to tolerate sitting in an ice bath, it might be worth trying to use it for muscle recovery. A common practice amongst athletes is cold water immersion. This is said to reduce muscle pain and soreness as it constricts the blood vessels, decreases metabolic rates and reduces swelling. Using contrasting water therapy by alternating between cold and hot water will also deliver the same effect. Applying heat by itself can also help stimulate blood flow to your muscles and relieve the tightness.

3. Using Sore Muscle Pain Relief Remedies

In an ideal world, we could all get massages to relieve muscle tension, boost blood flow and increase flexibility in certain areas of the body. But it might not be feasible to get one every day after a workout. And while over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications can reduce swelling and relieve pain, overreliance on these will do more harm than good, especially since it may prevent your muscles from growing bigger and stronger. This is where sore muscle remedies like pain sprays, sore muscle creams and pain relief balms are helpful.

Topical creams and ointments can effectively relieve pain and inflammation brought on by intense exercises. At Tiger Balm, we leverage ingredients such as camphor to increase blood flow to the surface of the skin so that a warm sensation is created, distracting you from the pain and stiffness. Other ingredients like menthol can also work to improve blood circulation, potentially reducing the time needed to heal the muscles completely. Some of the best pain relievers for sore muscles after a workout to consider include:

- Tiger Balm Ultra: A pain relief balm for joints and muscles, this non-staining ointment has the strongest concentration of Tiger Balm’s herbal ingredients. One application of the sore muscle pain relief ointment and you’ll get a comforting relief from muscle pain caused by overexertion.

Tiger Balm Pain Relieving Patch: A convenient solution, our pain relief patches can be easily applied for targeted muscle pain relief for hours. Made of hydrogel, these pain relief patches contour to your body to deliver comfort and relief. They also won’t get on your clothing and stick to the sore spot.

Tiger Balm Active Muscle Pain Reliever Spray: A pain spray that easily combats aching muscles and pain in those hard-to-reach areas, the Tiger Balm pain spray contains topical analgesics that get absorbed into the skin and act on the tissues beneath.

Tiger Balm Active Muscle Rub: If you are looking for ways to prevent DOMS, then the Tiger Balm Active Muscle Rub is worth considering. A pre-workout pain relief solution, the application of this muscle relief cream before a workout will lessen the pain post-workout.

Get Rid of Sore Muscles Efficiently with Tiger Balm

If you’ve been wondering how to get rid of sore muscles overnight, there might be an ideal quick-fix, non-medicated solution in the market today. Supplement your other sore muscle remedies with Tiger Balm products. Find your ideal Tiger Balm products at a retailer near you or buy them online today!