Squished by squash

Ouchie!! My muscles are sore from playing squash yesterday (for more info on squash, see my post on squash). Since I am the type to go Google searching when I have an ailment, I'm going to share some excerpt from results on dealing with sore muscles:

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Sore Muscles? Don't Stop Exercising
Delayed onset muscle soreness usually means your muscles are getting stronger
By Barbara Russi Sarnataro
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature
Reviewed By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD

Starting a workout program can be challenging. Making the time to exercise, creating a balanced routine, and setting goals are hard enough, but add to that the muscle soreness that comes with adapting to that regimen, and it may be difficult to stay on track.

Chances are, you won't be leaping out of bed to get to the gym when it hurts to hold your arm up to brush your teeth.

After participating in some kind of strenuous physical activity, particularly something new to your body, it is common to experience muscle soreness, say experts.

"Muscles go through quite a bit of physical stress when we exercise," says Rick Sharp, professor of exercise physiology at Iowa State University in Ames.

"Mild soreness just a natural outcome of any kind of physical activity," he says. "And they're most prevalent in beginning stages of a program." ...

However, moderate muscle pain might go a long way to keeping someone on the path to fitness.

"Soreness can serve as encouragement in a workout program because people like immediate results. Muscle doesn't visibly [grow] overnight; nor does your time in the mile drop from eight to six minutes," says Draper. "So something like soreness can give people encouragement that they are in fact working the muscle."

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How Stuff Works: Home Remedies for Muscle Pain

It was just a pickup game of basketball with the guys, not a marathon. And it felt great to finally get back on the court. But a day and a half later, you can barely move. You're so stiff, it feels like you've aged 100 years nearly overnight. Every time you try to move, your muscles cry out in pain. What's going on?

Well, weekend warrior, you've overdone it, and your body is letting you know. Overworking muscles, especially muscles that aren't accustomed to much work in the first place, causes the muscle fibers to actually break down, and that's what's causing your pain. If you had been exercising regularly all along, slowly and gradually increasing the duration and intensity of your workouts, chances are that game of round ball wouldn't have left you feeling like you got hit by a truck.

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Which works best as an anti-inflammatory for sore muscles?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: like others have said, a recent study showed that naproxen might be better for most people than ibuprofen for inflammation. tyelenol would be worst, because it doesn't have any anti-inflammatory properties. aspirin would be decent help. but if you aren't "most people" this will all just be trial and error. naproxen or ibuprofen, whichever you decide, needs to be taken with food, they are directly irritating to the stomach.

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Hot or Cold: Relieving Aches and Pains

Muscle Pain Relief

If sore muscles have you yearning for relief, what's the best strategy to soothe inflamed muscles, heat or cold?

Cold first, advises the August issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Later, heat can help. Wearable heat patches, available in retail and drugstores, allow you to apply heat and keep moving.