Sore Muscles

Use RICE to Treat Any Muscle Injury

    Muscle pulls are a hazard of exercising.  The immediate
treatment is RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.  Stop
exercising immediately, apply an ice bag wrapped in a towel on
the injured part, wrap a bandage loosely over the ice bag, and
raise the injured part above the heart.  Remove the ice after 15
minutes and reapply it once an hour for the first few hours.  After
a few days of rest, you can start a program of massage and
stretching.
    The only drugs that have been shown to help heal
muscles are anabolic steroids and beta agonist asthma
medications such as clenbutarol or albuterol.  Anabolic steroids
may have dangerous side effects and are illegal.  Clenbutarol
and albuterol appear to be safe in the low doses that are required
to hasten muscle healing, but have not been approved by the
Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States.  A
person caught taking these pills can be banned for life from
Olympic competition.  You can take pain medicines such as
ibuprofen, but they do not speed healing.  You may make
matters worse if you mask the pain that warns you not to use the
injured muscle.  Cortisone-type injections block pain and reduce
swelling, but they may actually delay healing.  The most effective
treatment is rest.  You should not exercise that part of your body
until you can do it without feeling pain.  When you return to
exercising, start out at reduced intensity and duration, then
gradually work back up to your normal program.  Stop
immediately if you feel pain.
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