A muscle strain can stop you dead in your tracks. And depending on the severity, you could find yourself dealing with discomfort and pain for several days or longer.
While there’s no magic pill for healing a muscle strain, one word should come to mind: patience.
Rest, rest, and more rest. That’s what your muscle needs as it recovers from a strain.
Should you push too hard, too soon, it can result in a more severe injury, which only delays your recovery.
At the very least, give your muscle three to five days to start feeling better. From there, slowly work back to your regular activities. Don’t dive right in, as doing so puts your muscle at risk for re-injury.
As you let time do its job, you can speed up the healing process with the help of:
• Ice therapy
• Heat therapy
• Compression
• Elevation
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is attempting to push through a muscle strain. This delays the healing process, while also putting your muscle at risk for additional damage. There’s no reason to take that risk when a little bit of patience is all you need.
Jennifer Ferdinand, owner of Serendipity Wellness Studio in Burke, VA, has been practicing massage therapy and esthetics since 2006. She is nationally certified through NCBTMB, and licensed in Virginia for both Massage Therapy and Esthetics.
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