- 1). Pinpoint your pain by moving the affected area of the body. What movements cause pain? How far can you move before it hurts too much? How much weight can you put on the problem area before the pain stops you? Feel around and find the sorest spot.
- 2). Apply heat to this area for 15 to 20 minutes. Be careful not to burn yourself---put a T-shirt or cotton or flannel fabric between the heat source and your skin. Remove the heat and stretch the area to see if you have a better range of motion or less pain.
- 3). Apply a generous amount of liniment to the sore area. Let it soak into the muscle and reapply. Stretch the sore area again to see if your range of motion has improved.
- 4). Take the tennis ball or use your finger to apply pressure to the sore area. Then, after a few minutes, take the tennis ball and put it between your body and a wall or the floor and use your body weight to apply deeper pressure. Do this for 15 minutes, going deeper over time. Do not try to go too deep too quickly or you may bruise yourself.
- 5). Check your range of motion and gauge your level of pain. Apply more liniment if you like, but do not apply more heat until the liniment wears off (in a few hours).
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