English 
Spanish 
Nurse Sore Muscles Back to Health With These Home Remedies
The discomfort of sore muscles has plagued us all. Regardless of our age, a stressed muscle can become sore when we start an exercise regimen, perform excessive manual labor, or even stay seated in the same position for too long! These aches and pains can make performing necessary tasks unbearable.
Soothe your aching muscles and nurse them back to health with these natural remedies:
1. Take a break. If your sore muscles are a consequence of overexertion or exercise, continuing the strenuous activity won’t help ease the soreness. Therefore, you should take a break from the routine so your muscles get a chance to recover.
- Muscle soreness from overexertion is the result of microscopic tears in the muscle tissue caused by the stress of the activity. Your body needs time to repair itself.
- If you start to experience soreness or stiffness during an activity, stop for a while.
2. Soak in Epsom salt or vinegar. Epsom salt contains magnesium sulfate and can replace lost magnesium in the body, thus helping to keep the muscles pliable and loose. Vinegar is very effective at pulling out lactic acid from the muscles, which contributes to soreness.
- Fill tub with warm water.
- As the tub is being filled, add two cups of Epsom salts or two cups of white vinegar.
- Soak the body, especially the sore muscles, for half an hour.
3. Use an ice pack. If possible, apply the ice immediately as soon as you feel the soreness. Keep the ice pack on the sore area for about 20 minutes and then remove it for another 20 minutes. Repeat the process a couple times. This process works great for muscle soreness due to injury. The ice helps reduce the inflammation and allows your body to repair itself.
4. Get a massage. Usually, muscle stiffness and soreness is also accompanied by restricted blood flow. A massage can help stimulate the flow of blood around the sore areas. Here are some helpful tips:
- You don’t need to pay for a professional massage; all you need to do is gently rub the area yourself.
- Apply this technique right after you’ve applied the ice pack and you’ll get better results.
5. Boost your potassium levels. If you’re susceptible to muscle soreness or stiffness, it’s very possible that your potassium levels are low. You can quickly raise those levels by eating more bananas, which are rich in potassium.
- Drinking lots of water can also help to relieve and prevent stiff, painful muscles.
6. Apply apple cider vinegar. Depending on the source of the soreness, you can do either a warm compress or a cold compress. Soaking the compress tool in apple cider vinegar is a great way to extract the lactic acid that contributes to sore muscles.
