well. simply said. how do you guys deal with next day muscle soreness after class and swelling\bruises from sparring or conditioning? I don't do much for muscle soreness, just a 5 minute hot shower before beginning the day. for swelling i massage the area using this deep heat massager i have and use tiger balm if i need to. Nothing for bruises except a rest. List any herbal or modern med remedies you guys use =) i kinda wanted this thread to be a good reference for how to deal with regular martial arts related aches and pains =)
Muscle soreness should disappear on it's own after a while but having a chocolate milkshake & hot shower straight after training. Conditioning will do just that, just takes time
A 500ml glass of man up to be taken daily. You'll get used to it mate, good nutrition and fitness will help with the muscle soreness (called DOMS) and bruises etc are just part of the deal, you'll barely notice them after a while.
Let me know how you feel as you get towards your mid 40s; it's only the Deep Heat, tubigrip bandages and anti-inflammatories that keep me going Seriously though, it's important to listen to your body and understand what it's telling you. Bruises, a few aches etc are par for the course in most arts and as Steve said tend not to bother most people. But you need to know the difference between that background noise and something a little more serious, something that hurts the wrong way or too much, or hurts for too long, or keeps recurring. This is the stuff that could give you long term problems and might signify bad techique or poor training methods. Mitch, suspended in a vat of Deep Heat
Hot baths are fantastic, as are saunas and steam rooms if you have them nearby. For the usual strains/sprains I get from judo, ice and compression asap makes most of them heal very quickly.
