To know what you can do about muscle pain, you first need to know what causes muscle pain. For a long time there were different opinions about the origins of muscle pain and even to this day the medical world does not fully agree. It is generally accepted that heat treatment is the best remedy for muscle pain.

What causes muscle pain?

Previously accepted theories about acidification of the muscles due to lactate have now been refuted. According to the latest state of science, it is now assumed that there are fine tears in the muscle tissue:

• that are caused by muscle overload;
• that leads to inflammation in these cracks;
• then swelling of the muscle involved occurs due to the ingress of fluid;
• the subsequent pain when the muscle is stretched is commonly known as muscle soreness.

Normally, muscle pain only manifests itself most severely a day after physical exertion.

How should you treat muscle pain?

There are various ways to treat muscle pain, but it is important to provide direct heat, for example in the form of a sauna or warm baths.In addition to homeopathic remedies such as Arnica pills, infrared radiation and massage with Franzbranntwein, an alcoholic solution mainly consisting of alcohol, camphor, menthol and various fragrances, also help. Not everyone responds equally well to massage due to new irritation of the muscles.

What is needed for heat treatment of muscle pain

Warm compresses or bandages are very helpful against sore muscles. This requires:

• a jug of hot water (1-2 liters);
• a thin cloth (for example a tea towel);
• a thicker cloth, a bath towel is ideal for this;
• an extra cloth to wring out;
• Household gloves can be very useful against possible minor burns.

Step-by-step instructions:

• first the smaller cloth is folded to the desired size, preferably several times;
• place the cloth (i.e. the bandage) on the spread out wringing cloth;
• now roll both into a roll;
• now the roller is dipped into the hot water to absorb as much hot water as possible;
• it is important to wring out the roll as best as possible, because the less water there is in the tissue, the better the temperature is tolerated by the skin;
• bring the actual bandage in the wringing cloth to the “patient”, to avoid burns or other injuries;
• Before the bandage is finally applied, perhaps even check its temperature on your wrist;
• now the bandage is properly applied to the painful area;
• it is then wrapped with the bath towel, which serves as protection and insulation;
• make sure that all affected areas are completely covered and well shielded.

It is of little use to reuse the previously used, damp and cooled bandage. Only a dry cloth absorbs the hot water sufficiently. Normally this treatment takes five to fifteen minutes . But it is not so much the duration of the treatment that is essential, it is the heat impulse that has a beneficial effect on pain.