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How to Help Ease Common After-Workout Pain

Most of us experience some after-workout pain at some point in time. Whether it is when you first start, after an injury, or you just happen to push yourself a little too hard. There are different things you can do to help ease your post exercising pain. However, if your pain is abnormally intense seek medical attention. It is very easy to make an injury worse while trying to make it better. But here are a couple tips for mild after workout pain.

Lower Back Region: When you have pain in your lower back, generally it is a tight muscle, however herniated discs putting pressure on the sciatic nerve is a common back injury. When your back is feeling sore, rest, take an over the counter pain medicine like Ibuprofen (an anti-inflammatory that will ease swollen muscles). When your pain is gone, work on some core training to help prevent future pain.

 Knees: Two common knee injuries include an inflamed iliotibial band (also referred to as IT band) or an injury called runner's knee, from the strain and impact of running. If you are experiencing pain around the kneecap, you may be suffering from runner's knee. If you suspect this is the problem, you should reduce your mileage to avoid more strain. To prevent this injury from happening again, you should build strength in your quads and hamstrings.

Ankles: The most common culprit of ankle pain is a sprain, which happens when ligaments are stretched too far. The easiest way to remember how to care for a sprain is to use the acronym RICE, which stands for Rest, Ice, Elevation, Compression. Rest with your ankle propped up above heart level, apply ice for 20 minutes, if you still have pain and swelling you can apply ice again after 20-40 minutes.