How to Speed Up Muscle Strain Recovery: 10 Crucial Tips

If you work out regularly by running or playing your favorite sport, the last thing you want is to be sidelined by a muscle strain. However, accidents and injuries are part of working out, and sometimes you simply need to listen to your body and rest. But fear not, we have tips on speeding up your recovery in a safe and healthy way.

Read on to get our top 10 tips to speed up your recovery from a muscle strain. We will also answer frequently asked questions about this type of injury and help you learn when to seek medical attention.

10 Ways to Speed Up Muscle Strain Recovery

Muscle strains are one of the most common injuries you can experience. According to a medical article in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, a muscle strain occurs when you’ve stretched a muscle too much and it tears while the muscle is being activated. . Usually, this happens as an accident (for example, you turn weirdly during a run), but muscle strains can occur as an overuse injury. Overuse injuries happen when you ask too much from your body by not letting it recover well enough or by increasing the length of your exercises too suddenly. This is also called overtraining. Resting is always the best response to recovering from a muscle strain, and a few simple steps might help you speed up recovery, which you can learn about below.

1. Rest and Avoid Overuse

You should immediately stop exercising if you feel a sharp pain in your muscles. You will know that you have injured or strained your muscle when you feel sharp pain locally, bruising or discoloration appears, and the area starts to swell. Medical practitioners recommend that you rest as the first step for self-care of a muscle strain. So, if you feel sharp pains in your muscles when you exercise, hang up your exercise equipment and rest. Also, try to elevate your legs (assuming that is where the strain has taken place). Look to use the remedies we discuss later, too.

As a rule, avoid muscle strain by slowly increasing the intensity of your exercise sessions, do not have huge leaps in the level of intensity or the duration of exercise. Runners should schedule rest days and increase the length of their long runs gradually week after week. If you are doing too much too quickly, your body simply will not adapt in time, and you increase the risk of injuring yourself, which will put you behind your goals even further.

 

 Keep your muscles supported with compression calf sleeves.

2. Apply Ice During the First 48 Hours

Applying ice to your strained muscles can help reduce pain. Icing can also help prevent swelling. Medical experts recommend icing the injured area for 15 to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours for the first few days after injury. Remember to wrap your ice pack in a towel so you do not hurt your skin!

Experts recommend also using heat therapy to improve blood flow and prevent muscle stiffness. We will cover that later.

3. Use Compression Therapy

Compression has been found to improve time to recovery following exercise, as compression therapy can improve circulation in and out of the muscles. This means that the muscles get oxygen and nutrients delivered more efficiently to improve recovery times. In the case of an injury, one study found that compression garments enhance recovery to damaged muscles, which could improve recovery times.

Moreover, compression socks support strained muscles and tendons. They are great for providing comfort or improved recovery for those recovering from injuries like Achilles tendonitis, a pulled calf muscle, or even ankle sprains. The tight grip they have on the lower legs means they may support the muscles. They also reduce muscle movement and provide a welcome feeling of support and stability when you’re recovering from injury.

Finally, graduated compression socks play a key role in maintaining healthy blood flow, even when you are injured. As the body’s natural response is to pump blood towards your injury, this leads to inflammation, pain, and swelling. Compression socks help circulate blood to and from the lower legs. So, if you have strained a muscle in the lower legs, compression socks will help reduce the risk of additional swelling.

 

 Discover compression socks for strained muscles.

4. Elevate the Area

Lifting the injured muscle above heart level is recommended by medical experts to reduce swelling. Elevation supports blood flow away from the injury and back towards the heart. Elevating the injured part of the body and following up by wearing compression garments ensures blood does not pool locally.

5. Stay Hydrated and Prioritize Protein

Dehydration can aggravate your symptoms, particularly swelling. Keeping well hydrated ensures blood flows properly and that you are helping the muscles repair by getting them all the nutrients they need through the circulatory system.

Another essential element for muscle recovery is protein intake. One clinical report stated that eating at least 20 grams of protein 4-6 times a day may optimize rebuilding muscle. Eat a balanced diet so your body can absorb all the nutrients it needs, while focusing on high-quality protein (such as from grass-fed beef, eggs, tofu) to support rebuilding and reconditioning your injured muscle.

Help muscles recover and relax in compression socks.

6. Consider Over-The-Counter Pain Relief

To relieve pain and swelling from a pulled muscle, you can take over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and aspirin. They will be effective as a first response to the pain, along with rest, ice, compression, and elevation. We recommend speaking with your doctor if you find that you need to keep taking medication to cope with your symptoms for longer than 2-3 days.

7. Apply Heat Therapy After 48 Hours

Once the initial shock of your muscle strain has subsided and you have used ice to reduce swelling and numb the pain, you can start to apply heat therapy. Heat therapy means using heat patches, hot wraps, or hot baths to the area. One research study stated that heat therapy could speed up muscle strain recovery by stimulating blood flow and muscle building..

8. Incorporate Gentle Stretching Once the Initial Pain Subsides

When you can move without pain, gentle stretching can reduce muscle stiffness and alleviate some pain. But do not do anything too drastic - now is not the time to start a completely new routine! In fact, it is over-stretching your muscle that has led to it getting injured in the first place, so be mindful of the level of effort you are able to make.

Wear compression sleeves to support your return from injury.

9. Return to Activity Gradually

After being inactive for some time, it makes sense that you would be eager to go when you’re finally injury free. But working out too hard is a quick way to cause other types of physical damage or even the same injury (especially if you pulled a muscle through overuse!). To avoid this, start off conservatively, with low exercise volume, and build up again gradually. Runners can look to return to activity with lower-impact exercise like swimming or cycling first, which will also protect the muscles and tendons as they fully rebuild.

10. Consider Massage and/or Physical Therapy

Doctors will often prescribe physical therapy to aid recovery from a strained muscle. This is a gentle way to keep the body active while targeting the area that needs to regain strength and flexibility. The same goes for massage - especially specialized sports massage therapy.

How Long Does a Muscle Strain Take to Heal?

Strains heal in different lengths of time, depending on the severity of the injury. Mild muscle strains can recover in 4 to 6 weeks, according to medical reports. This is assuming you follow the steps above and rest appropriately. Severe muscle strains can take months to heal - your doctor will help you find the best treatment path so you can safely get back to exercising.

How Can I Speed Up Back Muscle Strain Recovery?

If you have strained a back muscle, the best course of action is to rest, apply ice, then move on to hot therapy after a few days. Use over-the-counter medication to control pain and inflammation but be sure to consult a doctor about the amount of medication you should take. Physical therapy will also be key to easing yourself back into any type of activity if you are recovering from a back muscle strain. Always consult an expert for the best results.

What Helps Pulled Muscles Heal Faster?

Just like when recovering from the stress of exercise, your muscles need oxygen and nutrients to help repair them. These are delivered through the cardiovascular system, so unrestricted blood flow is essential. To speed up recovery, you can wear compression stockings and socks to increase localized blood flow as well as  prevent blood from pooling and increasing the inflammation and swelling in the lower legs.

Additionally, ample rest, applying ice in the first couple of days to reduce pain and swelling, and elevating your legs will all help. During the recovery period, ensure you fuel yourself well, eat healthy foods, get enough protein, and drink plenty of water. Finally, seek help from your doctor and from a physical therapist.

When to See Your Doctor

You should see a medical professional immediately if the muscle strain you have experienced is severe. This means if you experience high levels of pain, swelling that doesn’t subside at all after a few days, or if the injured area is tingling or numb. You should also see a doctor if there is bleeding and other symptoms like joint instability or extreme lack of mobility.

References

Garrett W. E., Jr. (1996). Muscle strain injuries. The American Journal of Sports Medicine, 24(6 Suppl), S2–S8. Read it here.

Brenner, J. S., Watson, A., & COUNCIL ON SPORTS MEDICINE AND FITNESS (2024). Overuse Injuries, Overtraining, and Burnout in Young Athletes. Pediatrics, 153(2), e2023065129. Read it here.

Mayo Clinic Staff. (2022). Muscle Strains. Mayoclinic.org. Read it here.

Kim, K., Monroe, J. C., Gavin, T. P., & Roseguini, B. T. (2020). Local Heat Therapy to Accelerate Recovery After Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. Exercise and sport sciences reviews, 48(4), 163–169. Read it here.

Montoye, A. H. K., Mithen, A. A., Westra, H. L., Besteman, S. S., & Rider, B. C. (2021). The Effect of Compression Socks on Maximal Exercise Performance and Recovery in Insufficiently Active Adults. International journal of exercise science, 14(7), 1036–1051. Read it here.

Hill, J., Howatson, G., van Someren, K., Leeder, J., & Pedlar, C. (2014). Compression garments and recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage: a meta-analysis. British journal of sports medicine, 48(18), 1340–1346. Read it here.

Hansrani, V., Khanbhai, M., Bhandari, S., Pillai, A., & McCollum, C. N. (2015). The role of compression in the management of soft tissue ankle injuries: a systematic review. European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie, 25(6), 987–995. Read it here.

Mota, G. R., Simim, M. A. M., Dos Santos, I. A., Sasaki, J. E., & Marocolo, M. (2020). Effects of Wearing Compression Stockings on Exercise Performance and Associated Indicators: A Systematic Review. Open access journal of sports medicine, 11, 29–42. Read it here.

Papadopoulou S. K. (2020). Rehabilitation Nutrition for Injury Recovery of Athletes: The Role of Macronutrient Intake. Nutrients, 12(8), 2449. Read it here.

Fernandes, T. L., Pedrinelli, A., & Hernandez, A. J. (2015). MUSCLE INJURY - PHYSIOPATHOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND CLINICAL PRESENTATION. Revista brasileira de ortopedia, 46(3), 247–255. Read it here.