No matter if you are a finely tuned athlete or simply a normal person going through the physical and mental pressures of everyday life, it is important to allow muscle pains and injuries to recover properly.
Failing to do so can lead to long term health problems and have a debilitating effect on your body that prevents you from doing the things that you love.
There are so many different therapies and treatment options available on the market to help those with sore or injured muscles that it can be difficult to determine the best approach to take.
One option that had boomed in popularity recently is the infrared sauna available in many modern gyms and spas and increasingly in domestic homes as well.
Before you go out and seek your local infrared sauna Edinburgh or even consider installing one in your own property, you want to know for sure that it will be beneficial for pain relief and muscle recovery. In this article, we will examine exactly that, looking at the science behind infrared saunas and why so many medical professionals and sports scientists sweat by them when advising their clients on how to alleviate muscle pain and generally improve their well-being.
What is the cause of sore muscles?
In order to understand why it is that infrared saunas help to soothe sore muscles we need to look at why our muscles become sore int eh first place.
Sore muscles don’t only occur after a touch workout at the gym and it is possible to strain a muscle during everyday activity, as you are doubtless aware. Aching muscles are usually a sign that you have pushed yourself out of your comfort zone and your muscles are responding to a higher level of stress than you would normally subject them to. There may also be a build up of lactic acid within the muscles as a result of this exertion and removing it is the key to a fast a comfortable recover.
Why does heat help?
Infrared saunas send a deep penetrating heat into the body, but why is heat effective at dealing with sore muscles in the first place?
Well, using heat to heal is a concept that has been around for many centuries now and works because high temperatures stimulate greater blood flow around the entire body, and particularly the affected area.
There are many different ways that heat therapy can be applied to the body from hot water bottles to heat lamps, and yes, using an infrared sauna.
Why are infrared saunas so good for sore muscles?
Infrared saunas are one of the most effective ways to apply heat therapy to sore muscles and reduce pain and inflammation.
Saunas one their own are excellent for this purpose as they heat the room you are sitting in to a temperature that significantly raises your body temperature, increasing blood flow and circulation as a result.
Infrared saunas are even more effective as rather than simply heating the room, they heat your body directly, sending penetrating waves of infrared light directly into the body of the user.
This will increase blood flow even more effectively by causing your blood vessels to dilate and send oxygenated blood surging through the body, removing lactic acid and soothing soreness. It is worth noting that infrared saunas, whilst extremely beneficial, are not a miracle cure, and whilst they can reduce inflammation and help you to relax, they will not necessarily the most effective method of healing a pulled muscle. They are certainly no substitute for rest, ice compression, and other medical advice for a muscle strain injury, and should not be considered as such.
That said, for general wear and everyday recovery, there are few more effective treatments than a good session in an infrared sauna. It is no coincidence, after all, that high performance athletes and sports teams are increasingly incorporating infrared sauna use into their recovery routines, allowing them to train and work harder and for longer than would otherwise be the case.
For the rest of us, having an infrared sauna in the convenience of our own home is a blessed asset when attempting to balance work, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle without our bodies screaming for relief and injuries putting us out of action for weeks or months on end.
What other health benefits do infrared saunas offer?
Muscle pain is only one of the many health issues that infrared saunas can help to tackle.
Others include:
- High blood pressure
- High stress levels
- Acne, eczema, and other skin conditions
- Arthritis and other joint conditions that cause chronic pain
- Greasy and oily skin that shows the signs of premature aging.