Sore After Your Workout? Loosen Up With This Massage Therapist’s Tips

It's hard not to laugh (while simultaneously whimpering) when you're waddling around the apartment or struggling to lift an arm to brush your teeth after a strenuous workout. Those are the moments when I miss my massage therapist the most.

Since I'm still limited to in-person consulations while social distancing at home, I'm getting by with the next-best solution: collaborating with licensed massaged therapist and RRCA certified running coach & personal trainer Beret Kirkeby to create a head-to-foot guide for relieving pressure and soreness on your own.

Thanks to her recommendations, you, too, can target your pain and treat directly — just as long as you've consulted your doctor (virtually, if needed!) first.

Kirkeby says headaches can often be "referred pain from the neck" — especially if the discomfort feels like "tight bands" around your head.

She suggests using your hands or a towel to stretch your neck left, right, and forward. Another recommendation: rolling a warm hand towel under your neck to support and relax the muscles or placing a cold pack on your forehead to release tension.

Shoulder and upper back pain can also relate back to neck discomfort. For relief, shoulders often respond well to heat and movement.

Kirkeby first suggests laying on a rubber exercise ball, relaxing on a point that feels good, and "letting gravity do the work."

For another exercise, try holding a band in front of you, gripping it wider than your shoulders, and slowly raising your arms before trying to roll them around to the back can help, too. In addition, you could try putting one hand behind your head and one behind your back while using the band to draw them together — then repeat on the other side.

Over 80 percent of the population deals with lower back pain in their lives — these individuals won't be surprised to hear it may be one of the hardest body parts to "calm down." Once you've been cleared by a doctor, Kirkeby insists getting active is the best treatment.

The following exercises are some classic low-back treatments Kirkeby suggests trying at home:

Clamshells

Hip Hikes

Bridges

Since the hips, hamstrings, and glutes can affect lower back pain, moving and stretching those specific areas with a band or foam roller can also be beneficial for treating tightness.

Kirkeby says tightness in the leg area while training sometimes means your body doesn't have the strength to do certain activities. Building muscles can help in the long-term.

She pointed out that many people are turning to cryotherapy (extreme freeze therapy that can help with recovery time, cell rejuvenation, decreased inflammation, collagen production, and energy) for postrecovery soreness, as cold can do wonders for leg pain.

Simply targeting specific muscles with a foam roller and stretches will help, too.

Since knees are mostly bone and ligament, Kirkeby says treating tightness and soreness in the areas above and below the knee like the calf, hamstring, and quad can alleviate pressure.

If foam rolling and stretching don't provide long-term aid, heat, ice, and topicals can offer short-term relief.

Reverse-engineering the cause of your foot pain is key to mitigation. For example, if your feet hurt due to improper shoes or because you are standing on your feet all day, get sneakers with better support.

Whatever the cause of your discomfort, Kirkeby suggests a hot soak, high-quality rub, or reflexology (a massage treatment around applying pressure to parts of the body) to help with irritation.

For more cost-effective solutions, roll a cold water bottle or tennis ball under your arch, or try standing on it gently with one foot while opening and closing the toes. The round ball will spread your toes apart and give them some wiggle room.

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