Should I let my muscles rest if they hurt?

Author: Kathlyn Beer I  |  Last update: Monday, July 7, 2025

Giving It a Rest If you're experiencing pain or extreme soreness, the best thing to do is to rest and give your muscles or tendon the time they need to recover. Kennedy suggests using ice for acute swelling or injury, and you can apply heat to the affected area for up to 72 hours following an injury.

Should you rest if your muscles are sore?

Rest. If you've overused or strained your muscles, it means there are small tears in the fibers that need to heal. Giving your muscles a rest will give them the chance to build back stronger. Gentle stretching.

Is rest good for sore muscles?

Resting gives your body a chance to flush out that excess lactic acid so muscles feel less tired and sore. Stronger muscles: Intense exercise creates small tears in your muscles. When you rest, those tears not only heal, but allow your muscles to strengthen.

Is it better to use a pulled muscle or rest it?

The most important thing you can do for a pulled muscle is resting it. Even if it's light stretching, continuing to stress a pulled muscle could result in further damage to muscle and a much longer healing time.

How long should you rest an injured muscle?

Rest the muscle for a few days or until your doctor gives you the okay. If you have a minor muscle strain, you should be able to do some gentle movement after two days. Ice. Apply ice to the injury for 20 minutes each hour you're awake.

Muscle Soreness Mystery - Should You WORK OUT or NOT?

How to tell if pain is muscular or internal?

Muscular pain often feels localized, tender to the touch, and worsens with movement or specific activities. It may also be accompanied by muscle spasms or visible signs of inflammation. Internal pain , on the other hand, may feel deeper, more widespread, and unrelated to movement.

Is it OK to rub a pulled muscle?

It's important to note that you should never massage a strained muscle that hasn't been given 72 hours to rest. Massaging a freshly-strained muscle can actually increase inflammation and even cause further injury, so be sure to wait at least three days before attempting any massage therapy.

What happens if you don't rest an injury?

Not only does avoiding recommended rest periods result in increased healing times, but it can also result in secondary (sometimes more serious) injuries. This is largely due to the body compensating (often without you realising) to protect the injured area which causes increased load on another area of the body.

Is it good to stretch sore muscles?

Stretching can help you heal from a muscle strain, as long as it's not severe. Stretching can also help when healing a new muscle contusion. For example, our athletic trainers often recommend simultaneously icing and stretching quad contusions right after the injury.

What not to do with sore muscles?

Here are 4 things to avoid when you are experiencing those tight and sore muscles.:
  1. AVOIDING MOVING! NOT A GOOD IDEA!
  2. AVOIDING EXERCISE BECAUSE IT HURTS! DON'T DO THIS!
  3. AVOIDING POOR TECHNIQUE! ALWAYS.
  4. AVOID – Plyometric Exercises when your Sore.

How to speed up muscle repair?

Your six back-to-basics steps for better muscle recovery:
  1. Drink at least 2 litres of water each day.
  2. Don't skip your rest days.
  3. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.
  4. Eat a good source of protein at each meal.
  5. Stretch after your workouts.

How sore is too sore for muscles?

Soreness is considered normal if it occurs between 24-72 hours after a workout, and if it does not prevent you from completing normal daily activities. If it lasts longer than this, or is so intense that it prevents you from functioning normally, it could be a sign of significant damage.

Can barely walk after leg day?

Difficulty walking after leg day is often a result of microscopic muscle damage caused by intense exercise. Eccentric contractions, common in leg workouts, can lead to tiny tears in muscle fibers. The body's natural response includes inflammation, resulting in swelling and leg soreness.

What drink is good for muscle recovery?

Muscle Recovery Drinks
  • Beet Juice. Beets are amazingly healthy whether you cook or liquefy them, but juicing beets retains all of their nutritional value. ...
  • Tart Cherry Juice. ...
  • Golden Milk. ...
  • Green Tea. ...
  • Pomegranate Juice. ...
  • Watermelon Juice. ...
  • Bananas. ...
  • Berries.

Can you feel muscles healing?

If you are asking “Do muscles hurt when healing?” Yes, you will feel pain and soreness as your muscles heal. You can also feel pain when your muscle is healing after a workout or surgery, which usually last up to 48 hours.

Do strained muscles grow back stronger?

It creates microscopic damage in the muscle tissue, prompting the body to make repairs and build muscles back bigger and stronger. You might feel sore for a day or two, but the pain will go away.

Do injuries hurt more the next day?

The ligaments and muscles and surrounding areas, over time, have time to swell, and the pain arrives the next morning. Worse, in many cases, because we feel OK, at least at first, we may overuse damaged areas of our body. This often turns what would have been a minor injury, into one that is much worse.

Is it better to rest or move a pulled muscle?

Gentle stretching to the area can be beneficial, but the key is to keep it gentle. Avoid any prolonged sitting, bending, heavy lifting, twisting, or driving - all of which can make the pain worse. Giving the area of pain a rest, at least for the next 24 hours, will most likely be beneficial.

When should you not massage a muscle?

An acute injury is a sudden, sharp, traumatic injury that causes pain. Typically the result of an impact or trauma such as a fall, strain, sprain or collision. Massage shouldn't be performed on the injured site because it encourages circulation and can increase swelling during the body's initial response to injury.

When should I be worried about muscle pain?

Get medical care right away or go to the emergency room if you have muscle pain with: Trouble breathing or dizziness. Extreme muscle weakness with problems doing routine daily activities. A high fever and stiff neck.

Is my muscle strain or just sore?

If it's a chronic muscle strain, you may develop pain gradually over a few days. If it's an acute muscle strain, you'll feel pain immediately, and it may even feel like tearing. You may also feel your muscle weaken, and you may feel that you can't use it at all.

What is the best medicine for muscle pain?

This is a personal preference. Some feel acetaminophen works better for them, whereas others find ibuprofen better relieves a headache. Muscle ache or pulled/strained muscle. Ibuprofen typically works better for this kind of pain relief, due to the anti-inflammatory effects.

Does a tumor feel like muscle pain?

Tumors of the musculoskeletal system, both benign and malignant (known as sarcomas), frequently occur in the first 2 decades of life. Symptoms typically involve pain in or around the joints and muscle aches.

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