hi
after a very very long period i lifted weights again these last two days.today i have a severe pain in my bicep area. i think it will go away after a few days anyway.. i hope.but right now its difficult i cant stretch my arms fully, i find it hard to eat and do important things i should be doing etc is there any way i can ease this pain.

thanks a lot.

Hey buddy, when you first get back into weight lifting you should not lift to strain. You have developed microfractures to your muscle tissue. This will go away within a few days, stretching may* alleviate the pain but it has no physiological reasoning behind it. It's mostly phycological. What will help is getting into a spa.

Next time don't lift too hard until you're about a couple of weeks into it.

You have delayed onset muscle soreness. It is so common it has an acronym, DOMS. Delayed onset muscle soreness is common after exercise and usually means your muscles are getting stronger.

Sore Muscles? Don't Stop Exercising

I didn't read g8r80's link, but the name says it all. The best way to make a sore muscle better is to work it out more. Not hard or with heavy weight, just enough to get the blood flowing. high blood flow = recovery and growth

hey you guys thanks a lot..................

Microtears are the suspect physiological reason for muscle soreness. Stretching is not a psychological placebo, there is sound physiological reasoning behind it. Stretching promotes intra and intermuscular fluid transfer which 1) prevents blood pooling associated with DOMS and exercise in general, and 2) promotes circulation necessary for tissue repair and rebuilding.

I like limestix's suggestions for reducing the pain. Anything to get the blood moving is a great way to increase recovery. Also, another suggestion would be to do a proper warm-up and cool-down. Without a proper warm-up, your blood isn't flowing, your muscles won't be elastic enough to perform, and you can (not will) set yourself up for major damage. A proper cool-down is essential to clean out your blood and muscles of the byproducts of energy production. This will, in turn, aid in repair and recovery.

hot then cold on the area will help too. In the shower hit it with hot water then cold water and back again. It will aslo help increase circulation to the area promoting healing.

I don't recommend this in the slightest. Hitting an area of tissue with heat/cold like this can cause vascular shock, and cause capillary beds to rupture. Not to mention that if you have a legitimate minor strain or sprain (something that can be difficult to determine within the first 48 hours, adding heat to the mix within the first 48 hours can further the tissue damage.

RICE is the only adage you need during the first 48 hours. Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. If it is a legitimate strain or sprain that you are dealing with, then after the first 48 hours you can start using heat therapy and cease cold therapy.

I not talking for an injury, im talking about DOMS

From where did you get this? I'd be interested in reading.

Regardless, it shouldn't be recommended.

Was from an older college ex phys book, it's in storage right now, but I'll try to get the name for you.

DOMS and mild to moderate injury can sometimes be confused, so shocking tissue with hot/cold/hot or vice versa is not a good idea.

Generally the only time heat therapy is really recommended is to relieve muscle cramping or knotting, not with DOMS or early injury.

about heat and cold therapy. I've heard that you should just ice at first, make sure not to keep the ice on for too long, like 10-20 min at most, then wait until the area has regained normal temperature, then do it again. You should do it in intervals because if you put it on for too long, the body will respond by dialating the blood vessels leading to the area. Heat will do the same, so you should wait with heat until later in the treatment, but how long?

Also, one thing I've never quite understood. When you put ice on and the blood vessels constrict, won't that hinder the body's natural healing process?