Pulled a muscle - How to heal and relieve pain
I pulled a muscle in my neck and upperback. What is the best way to heal and relieve the pain?
The advice on the web is not clear. Some people say apply heat, some say cold, and some say alternate both. Also, are products like bengay efficient for relieving the pain? Are there other analgesics that can help with the pain of pulling a muscle?
To clarify, think my pain comes from having carried heavy bags for too long for too many days. It just started hurting yesterday, but I am not sure what specific movement I made.
My neck and upperback hurt whenever I move my head (up, down,left or right).
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Generally speaking, minor pulls and sprains tend to respond very well to RICE protocol
Rest - Give the affected muscle time off to heal
Ice - Reduces swelling and discomfort
Compression - This may be difficult depending on exactly which muscle you pulled, but placing a constant pressure on it may also reduce swelling as well as providing much needed support to the injured muscle.
Elevation - On the other hand, this should be fairly easy. By keeping the injured area elevated, it also encourages the swelling to go down.
If you need an OTC painkiller, any NSAID will help with both pain and swelling. I tend to use Advil when I'm more concerned about pain relief and Aleve when I'm more concerned about swelling, but they're basically interchangeable.
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