Best way to treat annoying, lingering but minor muscle injury

[JooJitzoo]

Recently my idiot self didn't stretch out and warm up properly before doing some free-grappling and ended up injuring my lower neck and trapezius muscles. It isn't anything serious, just some pulled, cramping muscles. I'm now hunched over my keyboard.

Although this injury is minor it is just enough to keep me off the mat. I gave it some ice and some ibuprofen and try to be a little active...

Any of you guys have any tips to help accelerate muscle recovery? Or am I just going to have to roll with the treatment of time?

 

[Brendon Katz]

light stretchin might help after it starts 2 feel better , but im not 2 good with this stuff. its my belief u can train thru it as soon as u get most of the motion in ur neck back.

 

[OpethDrums]

you might want to try eating a lot so you body has no excuse not to repair its self

 

[EclipseAgent]

Eat pickles.

Also, don't hunch (keeping it in an irregular posistion.

 

[Sinister]

Order some Cryogel, Gear and Equipment discussion.

 

[FoxByArmbar]

Warming up might help.

 

[k. mifune]

I find that a deep tissue massage once every month or two is a wise, relaxing investment to make in order to keep muscle aches and pains at bay. I tend to get the same kind of pain in my traps and neck and the massage is the only thing that immediately remedies the problem.

 

[beav1982]

I totally agree, as a Certified Massage Therapist a massage will help release the tension and relax your muscles, however if you injure yourself like that wait untill it is out of the accute stage.

As soon as something like that happens get some ice on there. Important things to remember for the ice to be effective it needs to go through the 4 basic stages
1. Cold 2. Tingleing/Burning 3.Aching and 4. Numbing. Depending on the person's body weight timing varries shouldn't take longer than 20 mins. The analgesic effect of ice will reduce the pain you feel once you hit that stage remove the ice. You want the Vasoconstriction to occur to reduce the ammount of sweeling and blood flowing into the area; and the resulting vasodialation afterwards that brings O2 rich blood to the area to heal. When applying ice remember to use a damp towel around the ice pack - the bare ice pack is too harsh and using a dry towel insulates and reduces the cold transfer.

After a few days get a good therapist to work on you, they'll do lots of stretching and deep tissue massage- remember however the pain associated with massage should never surpass about a 7 on a scale of 10. No pain no gain is a myth. Hope this helped.

~Beav