Sore Muscles

If you're a really busy dancer. Or just an athlete in general and your life is full of practices, classes, competitions, etc. then you of all people should know that your muscles get tired. They may hurt or feel sore, especially after a hard practice or full day of dance.The most common causes of muscle pain are tension, stress, overuse and minor injuries.  We have all been through this muscle pain and want it gone immediately for it is not a pleasant thing. You want to be able to perform at your best and having, for example, your legs "not work" is just unacceptable and quite frankly a pain.

The best way to get rid of sore muscles or help repair them in the best way is the RICE method. The RICE method is used best for soft tissue injuries such as a sprain, strain, muscle pull, or tear. The R stands for rest. Rest is best to prevent future injury to the muscle and help repair the muscle in the least and most effective time. The I stands for ice. Ice is necessary for the injured muscle because it prevents the muscle from swelling and provides short term pain relief to the injured muscle area. C stands for compression, which also helps keep the muscle from swelling and may provide pain relief to some people. And last but not least, E stands for elevation, also needed to keep swelling down.

Keeping the swelling down is most important in sore or injured muscles and there healing process. The quicker you rest and start the RICE process then the quicker and sooner you'll be healed and on your way again. Keeping the swelling down is important because if you don't then the more time it's going to take you to heal because then you're going to have to wait for the swelling to go down. Just remember the RICE method. R=rest, I=ice, C=compression, E=elevation. Remember that and you'll be on your way to a faster and easier recovery.