“I have pulled my muscle from running. Will a hot shower help?”
I pulled my muscle while running and now I'm in severe pain. I heard a hot shower does help ease the pain, should I try that?
7 Answers
Yes. Heat healing.
If you know it is just a pulled muscle than you should actually try a warm epsom salt bath but if your have severe pain you want to get that looked at because it could be something more like a tear or possibly a separation. Find a good sports and ortho DPT (doctor of physical therapy) to get your movement analyzed and pain evaluated.
Rest ice compression elevate
It should help.
Yes, ice/heat, light stretching. Oral anti-inflammatories. If on back of leg, likely hamstring. If not improving get evaluated by orthopedics/sports medicine.
Sometimes if you “pull” a muscle, it is better to ice the area for 20 minutes every couple of hours to reduce swelling and inflammation (do not apply ice directly to skin as ice could cause frost bite). Warm moist heat is good to loosen tight muscle to work on stretching and relaxing tight muscles. One could alternate warm moist heat to loosen and ice to reduce pain and inflammation.
Mark Burt, M.D.
Mark Burt, M.D.
The hot shower will sooth the pain, but also may increase swelling and aching pain afterward the soothing effect wears off. I would recommend icing after you get out of the shower to prevent the aching symptoms.
