Natural remedies to reduce muscle soreness & inflammation

[ezNomad]

Just wondering if anybody has any suggestions or can provide links to info about preventing and/or reducing muscle pain and inflammation while on the trail.

Obviously a lot of people use ibuprofen, but I'm just wondering if anybody has other ideas.

Some links/research (not endorsing, just passing along what I found):

Inflammation-Fighting Foods (suggests pineapple, cherries, apples, almonds etc.)
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/top-10-anti-inflammatory-foods.html

From research journals:

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: Treatment Strategies and Performance Factors - Sports Medicine Journal
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/adis/smd/2003/00000033/00000002/art00005
"Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have demonstrated dosage-dependent effects that may also be influenced by the time of administration. Similarly, massage has shown varying results that may be attributed to the time of massage application and the type of massage technique used. Cryotherapy, stretching, homeopathy, ultrasound and electrical current modalities have demonstrated no effect on the alleviation of muscle soreness or other DOMS symptoms."

MASSAGE: Does post-exercise massage treatment reduce delayed onset muscle soreness? A systematic review.
Br J Sports Med 1998;32:212-214 doi:10.1136/bjsm.32.3.212
http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/32/3/212.abstract
Most of the trials were burdened with serious methodological flaws, and their results are far from uniform. However, most suggest that post-exercise massage may alleviate symptoms of DOMS. CONCLUSIONS: Massage therapy may be a promising treatment for DOMS. Definitive studies are warranted.

OMEGA 3: The Effects of Ingestion of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Perceived Pain and External Symptoms
http://journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/Abstract/2009/03000/The_Effects_of_Ingestion_of_Omega_3_Fatty_Acids_on .7.aspx
Conclusions: Ingestion of omega-3 can be effective in ameliorating delayed onset muscle soreness induced by eccentric exercise.

ANTIOXIDANTS: Antioxidants and physical performance
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408399509527692
"Physical training has been shown to result in an augmented antioxidant system and a reduction in lipid peroxidation. Supplementation with antioxidants appears to reduce lipid peroxidation but has not been shown to enhance exercise performance. "

BLACK TEA: The effects of theaflavin-enriched black tea extract on muscle soreness, oxidative stress, inflammation,
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1550-2783/7/11
"Consumption of theaflavin-enriched black tea extract led to improved recovery and a reduction in oxidative stress and DOMS responses to acute anaerobic intervals. "

(continued)

[ezNomad]

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PART 2
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GARLIC (allicin): Effects of allicin supplementation on plasma markers of exercise-induced muscle damage, IL-6 and antioxidant capacity
http://www.springerlink.com/content/dx72623116442326/
"The results suggested that allicin might be a potential agent to reduce EIMD."

PINEAPPLE and Ibuprofen on elbow pain:Preliminary Comparison of Bromelain and Ibuprofen for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Management
Conclusions: Ingestion of bromelain and ibuprofen had no effect on elbow flexor pain, loss of ROM, or loss of concentric peak torque as a result of an eccentric exercise regimen.
http://journals.lww.com/cjsportsmed/Abstract/2002/11000/Preliminary_Comparison_of_Bromelain_and_Ibuprofen. 9.aspx

WATER IMMERSION: Effect of hydrotherapy on the signs and symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness
http://www.springerlink.com/content/h73570484h828127/

"Overall, CWI and CWT were found to be effective in reducing the physiological and functional deficits associated with DOMS, including improved recovery of isometric force and dynamic power and a reduction in localised oedema. While HWI was effective in the recovery of isometric force, it was ineffective for recovery of all other markers compared to PAS. "

AMINO ACIDS: Amino Acid Mixture Improves Training Efficiency in Athletes
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/136/2/538S.short
"Together, the studies suggest that the amino acid supplement contributed to an improvement in training efficiency through positive effects on muscle integrity and hematopoiesis."

COQ10: These results indicate that CoQ10 supplementation reduced exercise-induced muscular injury in athletes
http://journals.cambridge.org/production/action/cjoGetFulltext?fulltextid=2200744

Exercise and functional foods
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1475-2891/5/15
"Improvement of endurance: For instance, it has been reported that glycogen stores can be increased by eating a low-carbohydrate diet for 3 days from 6 days prior to competition, followed by a high-carbohydrate diet for the next 3 days, resulting in the storage of 1.5 times more glycogen than normal [17]. If citrate, which inhibits glycolysis, is taken concurrently with a high-carbohydrate diet, glycogen stores will be further increased due to the inhibition of glycolysis [18,19]."... "When prolonged exercise will be performed, such as a marathon, taking carbohydrates immediately before or during exercise is also an effective method of improving endurance."

CAFFEINE (same study above): "The effect of caffeine on endurance has also been studied. Caffeine inhibits phosphotidiesterase by promoting catecholamine release and increases hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) activity, which leads to an increase of circulating free fatty acids and further improvement of endurance [32,33].

HOT PEPPERS (same study above): Capsaicin, obtained from hot red peppers, is likely to enhance fat metabolism by altering the balance of lipolytic hormones and promoting fat oxidation in skeletal muscle [34,35]. "

[Drybones]

I'd refer you to the thread on "spirits".

[Spools]

Perhaps you ought to try green blazing...:cool:

[ezNomad]

Ah yes, both good points, should have added those.

Not sure about green blazing effects on muscle recovery. Would be an interesting study.

As far as spirits, all for it in moderation (hey I make my own beer, I better be). But I think there are some negative effects from a sports nutrition perspective, such as interfering with the Kreb cycle which regulates muscle/energy recovery and the body (ie liver) treats alcohol as a toxic invader. But no doubt it makes soreness less noticeable for a while!

[shelterbuilder]

Aw, let's just forget about all of the "studies", and go brew up a pot of wintergreen tea. The salicysalates in the resulting tea act much the same as aspirin on sore, aching muscles...but if you have trouble with aspirin, then forget I mentioned it....

[Carbo]

Pain? Just god's way of letting us know we're still alive.

[Spokes]

I like these parasitic remedies as discussed recently on Dr. Oz

http://www.fans-of-dr-oz.com/remedies/dr-oz-parasites-and-worm-tea-remedy-wormwood-papaya-seeds-garlic/

[Spokes]

Pain? Just god's way of letting us know we're still alive.

That's why man invented morphine and moonshine.

[heavyfoot]

I'd take that first link with the study from 2003 with a grain of salt. We don't understand DOMS well at all, we haven't even figured out the mechanism that causes it. "No demonstrated effect," as stated in the link, is incorrect. Some studies have found minor improvement in pain after stretching an already sore muscle group. And there are problems with the existing research. The few published studies that have been done on DOMS and stretching have used very small subject groups (30 or fewer participants) and the abstracts don't give specific enough information (I haven't read the full text): what kind of stretching was done? Active, passive, PNF, ballistic? Was it before, during, after exercise? Were the participants sendentary? Athletic? Accustomed to stretching? Unaccustomed? Too many questions remain to dismiss sustained, static stretching as a good idea after a long day of hiking.

[topshelf]

+1 on the amino acid glutamine. I take a glutamine powder on days I am running and working out hard. It is very very essential after long hard workouts. It has many many functions. Once glutamine is lost after a hard workout and it can take 5-6 days to replace. Which is why you are sore for days on end after a really hard workout. Since taking this stuff I have never been sore.

While hiking you can pour the powder in with your water and slowly intake it as you hike. This way levels stay up all day. Great stuff check it out.

[jeffmeh]

Branch chain amino acids, as previously described. And while it is not easily accomplished on a thru-hike, eating paleo or primal rids the diet of grains and gluten that are pro-inflammatory in many people.

[wannahike]

Homeopathic Arnica and Arnica gel.

[Wise Old Owl]

Natural? get naked and jump into a cold stream... Yea done that.... after that - hike to a bar - grab a Yeungling Can't get more natural....Humans have been drinking beer since 7000 BC.

Now the real answer - Aleve!

[DrNick]

For more serious injuries; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0