dance skate

Rolling in the Carolinas was great now its time to feel the pain. Here are some tips for some relief.

Sunlight: Sunlight is a remedy for faster healing and pain relief. A study published in the January 2006 issue if Psychosomatic Medicine reported that postoperative patients in a University of Pittsburg study recovered faster and experienced less stress when recovering in a sunny room, as opposed to in a dimly lighted room. They also used 22 percent less painkillers per hour. Sunlight increases serotonin, a brain chemical that affects mood, sleep and appetite.

Rest:This one might seem obvious but I know allot of you guys went straight to your local skate session on your way back from NC. Sometimes simple rest is the best strategy for pain relief. If muscles are overworked or stressed, allowing the muscle to recover through non-use may free you from pain.

Movement: Movement is a good pain reliever. The body wants to move. By taking a muscle through its full range of motion, muscle soreness and tightness can often be eased and recovery and healing accelerated. Active Stretching is the most efficient movement you can use to help relieve pain caused by tight, sore muscles.

Breathe: Breathe when you have pain from tight muscles. Holding your breath locks muscle tightness in place. Doing an exhale helps to stimulate tight muscles to relax and release .

Water: Water may be a good strategy for easing muscle pain. Dehydration can cause an increase in inflammation and swelling and slow recovery time of sore, overworked or injured muscles.
Simply drinking more water has been shown to decrease soft tissue pain that is the result of fatigue, overuse, inflammation and injury.

Food: Certain foods can increase pain and slow healing. Sugar, caffeine and saturated fats all increase inflammation which is often a major cause of soft tissue pain. Limiting or eliminating these foods from your diet can help to decrease inflammation and therefore decrease pain.