So ‘inflammation’ is a scary word. It just doesn’t sound good, and in many cases, it doesn’t lead to beneficial results.
Inflammation of the liver? Yep, that isn’t good. But muscular inflammation after a workout? That’s a very different thing and, in most cases, is actually a good sign. However, you’ll need to learn more about inflammation to know the difference between your body healing and screaming out in pain.
Here are four common misconceptions about inflammation that you should know
1) All Muscular Inflammations Are Equal
There’s a fundamental difference between inflammation and chronic inflammation. The latter refers to a repeated flare-up in a certain area, caused by a poor diet, frequently overworked muscle, or underworked muscles.
Taking care of the basics is a good way to avoid this problem. Healthy fats found in products such as organic castor oil can significantly reduce pain and swelling. Using castor oil for muscular inflammation is a great way to alleviate pain and soreness.
Castor oil for muscular inflammation can help you ease into a routine where you have to push yourself hard. Just remember that that pain isn’t your body telling you to stop and never do that again!
2) All Inflammation Requires Treatment
The small tears that occur in your muscles when you do strength training may cause some discomfort, but if it’s nothing major, it’s probably a good thing.
Inflammation is essentially a signal for your body to pay special attention to the inflamed area because something needs healing. Strenuous exercise, like strength training, can create tiny tears in your muscles. These tears send your body signals that they need healing, and the body gets to work.
Essentially, this is how muscle growth happens: the body not only repairs the tears, but it strengthens the muscles so that the tears won’t happen again under similar stress. The inflammation disappears as this happens.
‘Chronic inflammation’ isn’t the same thing as your muscles being sore once a week after a big workout. If you know that a good set is what’s causing muscle soreness and it only lasts a couple of days, you’re probably doing something right.
3) Strength Training Leads to Chronic Inflammation
Okay, so if you keep biting off more than you can chew and damaging the same muscle, that will cause you lasting problems. However, strength training has actually been shown to help avoid chronic inflammation by building muscle, and not just in terms of your gym set.
A study found that strength training as mild as elastic band exercises helped prevent chronic inflammation in older patients. Building and maintaining muscle is essential, and it’s inspiring to remember that you’re never too old to benefit from strength training!
4) More Rest is Better
A leading cause of chronic inflammation is actually too much rest. Like with soreness, there’s good rest and bad rest. Good rest is taking a couple of days off to allow your muscles to heal and grow. This is a necessary and encouraged part of all exercise.
Bad rest is just taking too much of a good thing. If you spend all day in bed, your muscles become sore because you’re not using them. This causes them to become inflamed and can lead to serious problems in the long term.
Conclusion
A bit of soreness is an indicator that you’re on the right path. These tears are what stimulate muscle growth as the body heals. You’re helping your muscles grow, and with rest and proper nutrition, the minor aches will save you from so many problems further down the line.
However, always take any pain seriously, and keep these myths about inflammation in mind the next time you the sensation!