Muscle soreness (also called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)), is the stiffness, tenderness, or dull aching pain you feel in your muscles after strenuous activity, especially if you’re not accustomed to it. Muscle soreness is something everyone has experienced.
If you’re wondering how to relieve sore muscles, there are simple remedies to alleviate. Physiologists refer to the gradually increasing discomfort that occurs between 24 and 48 hours after activity as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and it is perfectly normal (1).
What Causes Muscle Soreness?
Strenuous activity stretches and contracts the muscles and damages them (at a very small scale), which is normal and what causes muscle growth when you work out. In fact, when you work out at the gym by lifting weights, you are intentionally damaging your muscles because when they repair themselves, they grow. Post activity, muscles repair themselves, and that is when you feel soreness.
Naturopathic Remedies for Sore Muscles
Is Muscle Soreness Serious?
If what you are feeling is, tenderness, a dull ache, or limited disability in movement, then no, there is nothing serious to be worried about. Muscle soreness is a sign of recovery and tends to disappear in a day or two. If, however, you feel the pain that is sharp, throbbing, unbearable or restricting movement by a large degree, you might have a torn muscle or some other damage, and you should visit a doctor immediately (2)
[Read: Natural Remedies for Muscle Pain ]
CURE 1: Essential Oils
How to treat sore muscles? Massaging the affected area with healing and soothing essential oils is definitely a great home remedy to start with.
1. Rosemary Essential Oil
Why does it work?
Rosemary is a shrub that has needle-like leaves and a woody scent. It’s popularly used as a seasoning, and for its medicinal benefits. Rosemary oil is consumed for its antioxidants, which help eliminate toxins from the body and also boosts the immune system. Rosemary essential oil also has anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, which is how to heal sore muscles.
How to use it?
If you’re wondering what to do for sore muscles, applying rosemary essential oil directly to aching muscles will help. Some people have found that massaging sore muscles with rosemary oil increases blood circulation to the area, relieving pain. Take rosemary essential oil, add a carrier oil like jojoba oil or coconut oil (if required only) and gently massage sore muscles before bath.
How much to use?
4-5 drops of rosemary essential oil with 2-3 drops of carrier oil. You can increase or decrease the amount depending on the size of the area affected.
[ Read: Stop Muscle Twitching Naturally ]
2. Peppermint essential oil
Why does it work?
Peppermint essential oil is another great way how you can get rid of sore muscles. It has analgesic, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory properties that work wonders in soothing aching muscles. The menthol in peppermint is especially great because it provides a cooling effect that helps relieve all kinds of muscle and body aches.
How to use it?
You can use peppermint oil in a couple of ways. You can mix it with a carrier oil, like jojoba or coconut oil, and directly apply it to the sore muscles than massaging the area. You can also draw a bath and add a few drops of peppermint oil along with a few drops of carrier oil in it and soak yourself for 15-20 minutes. Lastly, you can add 2-3 drops of peppermint oil to water and dip a towel to make a cold compress and place it on sore muscles.
[Read: Epsom Salt for Sore Muscle]
How much to use?
Equal parts of peppermint oil and carrier oil can be mixed-used to massage sore muscles. The amount depends on the size of the affected area if you’re drawing a bath, ad 15-20 drops of peppermint oil along with a carrier oil to the bathwater.
3. Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Why does it work?
Eucalyptus essential oil is extracted from the fresh leaves of a eucalyptus tree. Most benefits of the eucalyptus oil come from a compound called eucalyptol, which has antimicrobial properties. The oil has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, which is what is good for sore muscles. Eucalyptus oil also provides a cooling effect to the area where it is applied, further providing relief from sore muscles.
How to use it?
It’s best to mix eucalyptus oil with peppermint oil and a carrier oil like olive oil or moringa oil and massage sore muscles with this mixture.
How much to use?
Make a mixture with 8-10 drops of eucalyptus oil, 8-10 drops of peppermint oil and 3-5 teaspoons of carrier oil. If you need to make more (or less), make sure to maintain the ratio.