Can you put heat on muscle soreness
Sore, stiff, nagging muscle or joint pain is ideal for the use of heat therapy. Athletes with chronic pain or injuries may use heat therapy before exercise to increase the elasticity of joint connective tissues and to stimulate blood flow. Heat can also help relax tight muscles or muscle spasms. Applying heat to your muscles or joints also encourages circulation and blood flow to the area, which can reduce pain. Boosting blood flow to a painful area can also help to get rid of lactic acid waste buildup, which contributes to pain. Here are some different ways to use heat therapy: Boosting blood flow to a painful area can also help to get rid of lactic acid waste buildup, which contributes to pain. Here are some different ways to use heat therapy: 1  Apply a heating pad to the sore area; some come with inserts you wet to create a moist heat. Cold therapy can also help relieve any inflammation or pain that occurs after exercise; this is a form of acute inflammation. However, unlike heat, you should apply ice after going for a run. Cold treatment can reduce post-exercise inflammation. Cold therapy can sometimes also help relieve pain in chronic injuries. 1 However, some people feel that dry heat is the easiest to apply and feels the best. 2  Moist heat, such as hot baths, steamed towels or moist heating packs can aid in the heat’s penetration into the muscles, and some people feel that moist heat provides better pain relief. Athletes with chronic pain or injuries may use heat therapy before exercise to increase the elasticity of joint connective tissues and to stimulate blood flow. Heat can also help relax tight muscles or muscle spasms. Don't apply heat after exercise. After that, heat can increase blood flow to an injury, which may help promote healing. Heat also serves as a muscle relaxer, which can help with pain relief. Tendons are bands of fibrous tissue that connect muscles to bones and help muscles initiate and control movement in your joints. Cold therapy can be particularly helpful if you've got an overuse injury and a muscle or joint is swollen and painful following exercise; it may also feel best on a flaring arthritic joint. If you've got a sore or painful muscle or a very stiff joint, heat therapy may be your best bet to relieve symptoms. If you have a joint or muscle that's so swollen and inflamed that it's causing you pain, cold therapy is another pain management option to consider. Cold therapy reduces blood flow to the area, which can help to alleviate painful swelling and reduce inflammation. Heat and cold are the two most common types of noninvasive and nonaddictive pain-relief therapies for muscle and joint pain. Which one you use depends on whether the pain is new or recurring. In general, a new injury will cause inflammation and possibly swelling.
Yes