Pulled a Muscle in Your Back? 3 Secrets to Quick Relief For Strained Back Muscles

By Nina Schnipper

Did you recently sustain an injury? And now your body is screaming out for relief? A strained muscle can take a long time to heal. But with these three tips, you can get relief quickly and recover faster.

Cool it.
First, apply a cold compress to the hurt area. Remember that pain is a sign of inflammation, of overactivity. The injured muscles need to be cooled.

Many people make the mistake of heating strained muscles. This may feel soothing temporarily. But you could be causing the inflammation to get more fired up. So, after the heat is removed, you might feel worse. You could be slowing your recovery with heat!

Apply ice or a cool-pack by compressing it to the strained muscles. Put some kind of cloth between the ice and your skin, so as not to give your skin frostbite.

Eat your greens.
Most people underestimate the power of their foods. Eating nutritious foods can help speed recovery. And understanding your muscles’ nutrition needs can ease their aches and soreness.

The real nutrients that your muscles crave are in dark vegetables. Leafy greens and cruciferous veggies are especially loaded with minerals that aid muscles. When muscles are injured, they need more than their usual daily amounts of potassium, calcium, magnesium and other nutrients. They need therapeutic levels of vitamins and minerals, which is often much higher than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).

Move Gently.
Some injured folk try to stretch their way through recovery. Others think that a good work-out will somehow force their muscles back to their normal abilities. Still other good intentions include masking painful symptoms with endorphins from exercise.

Avoid the temptation to aggressively heal. Instead, move gently. Ease back into your activities slowly. Follow any guidelines prescribed by your physicians or therapists.

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October 14, 2008