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This is what you can do against a pulled muscle

This is what you can do against a pulled muscle

Do you have a pulled muscle and you don't know what to do now? We explain it to you!

Ai, you have a muscle damn… We know better than anyone how very annoying that can be. But what do you do when you feel that something is not right? We'll be happy to explain that to you!

Keep warm or cool?

A muscle straining is of course very annoying, but luckily there are things you can do to reduce the complaints. Depending on your complaints, muscles that have been strained benefit from heat or cooling.

Treating a muscle strain with heat agents

Heat agents stimulate blood flow and ensure that waste products are removed faster. This allows you to recover faster. You can take a hot shower to relax your muscles to make it flexible and then possibly rub your back with a heat rub or stick a heat plaster. Spreadable painkillers are also available.

Heat plasters
There are patches that work for 8, 10 or 12 hours at a time. You don't stick some plasters directly on the skin, but on the garment that covers the painful area. You can stick other types of plasters directly on the skin. Read the package leaflet carefully, because you may not, for example, cut the patches in half or use them several times. You should also not leave the patch on longer than indicated in the package leaflet to reduce the risk of side effects.

Be careful with sensitive skin
People with sensitive skin should in any case be careful with heat agents. First, they are at greater risk of side effects such as burning skin or even burns. Second, the glue used in the patches can cause irritation. For that reason, it is better not to use the patches at night, because then you will not notice if the patch starts to irritate. In addition, when you sleep for a longer period of time, you lie on your back or side under a blanket, which could adversely affect the heat effect. For heat rubs largely the same warnings apply.

If you have picked up an excess of rubbing agent, you can easily remove it with a cotton ball dipped in baby oil or another neutral oil. Remember to always wash your hands well after using heat rubs so that you don't accidentally rub your eyes or touch other parts of the body where you cannot tolerate the heat.

Treating muscle strains with cooling products

Next to heating resources are there also cooling products to use for muscle pain. These often contain menthol or eucalyptus and not only relieve the physical pain, but also help to divert attention from the muscle pain due to their soothing scent.

Treating muscle strains with painkillers

Don't want to stick or smear products? Then you can also choose to take a painkiller. However, painkillers also do not remove the cause, but only combat the symptom. Let your doctor or pharmacy advise you about which painkiller is most suitable for you.

How to prevent it:muscle condition

It goes without saying that a good muscle condition the risk of muscle pain and strained muscles can reduce. Everyone can suffer from it from time to time, but if you regularly muscle pain it is wise to train je your muscles to make them stronger. It also improves your posture. The best way to heal muscle pain is to rest, so listen to your body.

Image:Getty Images

This is what you can do against a pulled muscle

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