5 ways to ease muscle pain and support muscle regeneration

If you do physical work or regular exercise, such as lifting weights, running, swimming or cycling, you may not be a stranger to muscle cramps and pain. Although muscle fatigue wears off with time, let’s face it; we’d love to skip this uncomfortable episode after workouts. We have collected some pro-tips that may help you regenerate your muscles more effectively, and increase your overall performance.

It takes your muscles about 24 to 48 hours to regenerate after a workout, so if you use the same muscle groups over and over again without letting them recover, you may be preventing the process of muscle building, or even running the risk of injury. The good news is that you can actually do something to reduce muscle pain, and to facilitate muscle regeneration. Here’s how.

1. The much-needed massage

Post-workout massage can reduce the current feeling of tension and the all-too familiar pain that follows. According to a recent study, massage therapy effectively reduces post-workout pain, even before muscle fever hits in. Massage can thus help regeneration by reducing inflammation, muscle tension and swelling. If there is no one nearby to give you a thorough massage, you can use an SMR foam roller, which is a really effective alternative to post-workout massage.

2. Give compression garments a try

The use of compression garments has become very popular among athletes in recent decades. Compression (short and long) pants are perhaps the best known, but it is also worth noting that there are various other accessories that can be used to facilitate the recovery of other parts of the body as well. Such compression garments and accessories promote muscle regeneration, therefore help increase performance. Research shows that compression clothing noticeably reduces the rate of delayed muscle pain, and improves the rate of recovery from muscle damage.

Compression clothing, in which specific air chambers are filled with air according to the selected program, raises the temperature of the skin and surrounding tissues, thereby increasing blood flow and facilitating the healing of muscles.

3. Contrast therapy – not merely a refreshing start to the day

Contrasting hydrotherapy helps reduce muscle pain after strenuous workouts and lengthy workdays. During contrast therapy, the body is alternately immersed in cold and then warm water, which may not sound too pleasant, but it’s actually very effective. Warm water causes smooth muscles in the walls of arteries to relax, increasing blood flow through the blood vessels, while in contrast the veins contract due to the cold. Constant temperature change thus stimulates blood vessels, helps speed up metabolism and also reduces swelling and inflammation. A contrast bathing session should not be longer than 15 minutes, and make sure to start and also finish with cold treatment.

While we’re at cooling and heating, check out our Compact XP Dual Temp unit, which can cool down as well as heat up the water in your ice bath.

4. Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is the summary name for methods that are based on cold water therapy. This can be administered on an individual or even at team level – it all depends on the size of the ice bath itself, and the proper cooling unit that is able to keep the water temperature at a constant level. Cold water immersion is not the same as sitting in a pool of ice cubes, but the water used in therapy is indeed quite cold. But what does cryotherapy actually do?

Ice diving limits the body’s inflammatory response and can reduce muscle pain by up to 20%. It facilitates regeneration, reduces the risk of injury, has a positive effect on mood and mental state of mind, supports weight loss and proper metabolism, and strengthens the immune system. Need I say more? Should you still have doubts, check out our previous article about Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance, who is an ice immersion enthusiast. If you have already made up your mind to give cryotherapy a chance, read about the dos and don’ts that we have compiled in a previous post.

5. Protein, more protein, and little protein on the side

Protein protects muscles and supports the building of new muscle tissue. This is because proteins are broken down into amino acids, which are essential for developing muscle tissue. Lean meat, tofu, lentils, fish, beans and nuts are all excellent sources of protein, but there is also a wide range of protein powders available on the market.

Protein is widely known to help improve muscle performance when consumed before a workout, but protein intake is also essential after a workout, to aid the regeneration of muscle fibers damaged during exertion.

If you’ve already developed such a craving for protein that you feel the urge to wash down the last bite of your protein cookie after the chicken breast with a maxi protein shake, then don’t forget to eat plenty of proteins for supper either if you have a workout the next day.

As mentioned, protein stimulates muscle regeneration, which occurs naturally during sleep. While asleep, your body breaks down muscle protein, so if you want your system not to “eat your muscles” overnight, you should get plenty of protein before hitting the bed. Consumption of protein at bedtime helps your muscles regenerate more easily during sleep, and also enhances your growth hormone levels.

If you would like to check out our products, and give ice immersion a try, feel free to browse our selection of ice baths and cooling units. Also, don’t hesitate to contact us, should you have any questions!