How to Fix a Pulled Muscle or Strain

There are few things that halt your mobility more than a pulled muscle, especially when it’s on the neck, back or shoulder. It can be debilitating and take weeks to fully heal and regain mobility.

This guide will help speed up the recovery process and allow it to be as pain free as possible, whilst offering the most movement you can safely do. The majority of these steps can be done using things found at home, but at worst you can order them online and they’ll always be handy to have for the future.

Remember, strains and pulls can be stubborn injuries and you'll need to be patient or you can risk worsening the condition.

Heat pack or hot water pack

Painkillers (ibuprofen or aspirin)

Massage gun (or if you don’t have this, a large wooden ladle works)

This is a common mistake people make, thinking stretching the affected area will ease the tension.

That’s true for aches and even strains to some extent, but for the latter it is not for when you first experience the pain. In the earlier stages, leaning into the strain can worsen the inflammation and pain.

Only after the initial tenderness has subsided, i.e. it isn’t tender to touch, and the pain has dulled, should you start massaging it to increase blood flow.

Heat is your best friend when it comes to recovery and instantly improving mobility. Apply a heat pack or any type of localised heating to the affected area throughout the day. Don’t allow it to cool down.

This will help inflammation go down and make it less painful to move.

Aside from localised heating, you should also be keeping your environment as warm as possible. This just compliments step 2, but if missed, will negate some benefits gained from localised heating.

Stay away from extremes of any weather, especially the cold and wind, as this can cause your muscles to tighten up even more!

Speak to your physician before taking any medicine. Ensuring you are taking your painkillers such as ibuprofen or aspirin, without fail, will make sure that pain is at a minimum and your movement is normal.

Pain prevents your body from healing, so when there is no pain and you’re mobile, circulation and normal utilisation of your muscles are resumed.

After at least a few days of pain, depending on severity, the pain will eventually start to dull or at least not be as tender.

Once this happens, you can start to massage the affected area, either with your own, someone else’s or by use a massage gun. This will help push blood to the affected area and speed up healing.

When massage the area, it is better to massage around the affected spot, instead of the spot directly. Loosening the surrounding muscles is the best way to treat the affected spot without causing unnecessary damage or worsening of pain.

If you decide to use your hands, you can use oil for application to make it easier to massage or a message gun. Do this no more than 10 minutes at a time to avoid overworking the area.