Try other remedies before taking pain pills for a pulled muscle.
Not only is a pulled muscle painful, but it can also become a lingering and repeated injury if not properly taken care of when it first occurs. Most pulled muscles occur in the legs and back, but any muscle can be pulled, and the more obscure the muscle is, usually the worse it feels, because movements you never thought would be affected are suddenly painful. There are many effective homemade remedies for pulled muscles and a number of different things you can buy to help your muscle heal properly.
Rest as Much as You Can
Remember the acronym RICE: rest, ice, compression and elevation. Your muscle needs to heal from whatever injury occurred to it, so give it a rest. Most muscles are used in some respect every day for simple movements you never think twice about, so making any movement in the region where the muscle pull has occurred is putting a certain amount of strain on that muscle and keeping it from healing as quickly as it can. Sometimes it is impossible to stay off your feet and not use that muscle at all, but the more time you don't overuse it, the more natural healing work your body can do on itself.
Cold and Compression
As soon as a muscle is pulled, it is important to put ice on it to reduce swelling. The more swelling that occurs, the more pain can result. So by making it cold, you reduce the painful results of a bad muscle pull.
It is also important to wrap the muscle in an elastic bandage and elevate it in some way, to reduce any type of strain or stress on the muscle itself and to reduce swelling. This should be done initially to begin the healing process, before you apply heat and various creams.
Heat and Creams
Applying heat to a pulled muscle after it has been stabilized can also be beneficial. You should wait to apply heat until after any swelling has subsided. Moist heat, from a hot tub, bath or shower, maybe mixed with Epsom salts in the water, can soothe the muscle and loosen up any tightness resulting from the tear. The heat can also improve circulation and your body's metabolism, which helps the body to heal more quickly. If you like, you can apply creams to the muscle, like Tiger Balm and arnica, both of which absorb quickly into the skin and may relieve the tension of the pulled muscle itself.
Tags: pulled muscle, apply heat, movements never, muscle itself, muscle pull, muscle pulled