Orthopedics-Online

This is the best way to solve muscle tension!

In principle, muscle hardening can affect any muscle in the body.
Usually they manifest themselves in the muscles that are often stressed. Running athletes often struggle with hardening of the leg muscles, while arm-heavy sports also have hardening of the shoulder and arm muscles.

Most hardenings are short-lived and can be treated well with home remedies, heat / cold, ointments, oils and massages.

Read general information about muscle hardening at: Muscle hardening

Are these treatments available?

Medication
- Painkiller
- magnesium
Ointments / gels
- Voltaren
- Finalgon
warmth
cold
Taping
Muscle processing
- Fascia roll
- strain
- massage

strain

When the muscles become stiff, there is usually increased tension in the muscles.
Often the muscle lacks certain electrolytes or other substances that contribute to the relaxation of the individual muscle fibers.

A gentle and gentle stretching can be helpful against this hardening of the muscles. It is important not to stretch with all your might against the tension.
Rather, a slowly increasing stretch of the hardened muscle should take place with careful movements.
If necessary, the stretching can be combined with heat applications or oils and ointments.

Read more about this under: Stretching exercises

Appointment with a sports orthopedic specialist?

I would be happy to advise you!

Who am I?
My name is dr. Nicolas Gumpert. I am a specialist in orthopedics and the founder of .
Various television programs and print media report regularly about my work. On HR television you can see me every 6 weeks live on "Hallo Hessen".
As a passionate athlete, I have specialized in the treatment of sports diseases for professionals and hobby athletes.
The focus is therefore on diseases of the muscles, tendons and joints.

In order to be able to treat successfully in orthopedics, a thorough examination, diagnosis and a medical history are required.
In our very economic world in particular, there is too little time to thoroughly grasp the complex diseases of orthopedics and thus initiate targeted treatment.
I don't want to join the ranks of "quick knife pullers".

The aim of any treatment is treatment without surgery.

Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.

You can find me in:

Lumedis - your orthopedic surgeon
Kaiserstrasse 14
60311 Frankfurt am Main

Directly to the online appointment arrangement
Unfortunately, it is currently only possible to make an appointment with private health insurers. I hope for your understanding!
Further information about myself can be found at Dr. Nicolas Gumpert

Medication

Simple, brief muscle hardening usually does not need to be treated with medication.
The administration of electrolytes such as magnesium is usually more helpful.

However, if muscle hardening persists, various medications can be used.
In the case of wheals, for example, local anesthetics are typically injected under the skin. Deeper infiltration with local anesthetics can also be performed.
In addition, it sometimes makes sense to take pain medication locally (usually with an ointment) or systemically (as a tablet).

Anoint

All kinds of ointments are used for hardened muscles.

For example, warming ointments that promote blood circulation are helpful. A.
Ointments containing essential oils can also be used. They promote relaxation throughout the body and thus help to loosen muscle stiffness.
Pain relief ointments such as Voltaren® or DocSalbe® can also be used if the hardening of the muscles causes pain.

Voltaren Emulgel

Voltaren Emulgel® is a pain gel that can be applied to the skin.
It is not only used for injuries but also for muscle hardening.

Due to its pain-relieving effect, it reduces the tension in the muscles and can thus loosen the hardening somewhat.
Voltaren also has an anti-inflammatory effect.

Read more on the subject at: Voltaren Emulgel®

Finalgon

Finalgon® is a cream made from cayenne pepper as an ingredient.

If you apply it to the skin, it becomes very warm within a very short time.
The blood flow to the skin area covered with cream increases rapidly within a very short time.
As a result, the active ingredient quickly reaches deeper layers and can therefore also develop its effect in the muscles.

Due to the extremely improved blood flow to the hardened muscle, it is better supplied with nutrients again. Some of these nutrients are necessary to ensure adequate relaxation of the individual muscle fibers.

Home remedies

Home remedies for muscle hardening can address various mechanisms of action.
First of all, the application of heat to hardened muscle areas helps most. A hot water bottle or a cherry stone pillow can be used for this. However, sometimes cold is also helpful.

Suitable home remedies for this are for example

Cabbage or quark wraps.
Cold and hot baths in the affected part of the body can also be helpful, as can contrast baths. These stimulate the blood circulation in particular and thus help the body to quickly release tension.
Other measures that promote blood circulation are, for example, massage or warming creams.
The fascia roll or black roll can also be used to loosen muscle hardening. In addition to a strong massage of the muscles, the fascia that surround the muscles in particular are stimulated. Possible adhesions loosen and the muscles can move more freely in their shell again.

warmth

The application of heat is one of the most commonly used therapeutic agents for muscle hardening.
The warmth allows the muscles to relax, blood circulation and metabolism are stimulated and tension or hardening is released more quickly.

Applying heat in the form of a warm full-body bath can not only relax the muscles, but also the body and mind.
Ideally, you add essential oils that promote relaxation of the muscles and, thanks to their scent, also contribute to psychological relaxation

cold

Cold applications are mainly used for acute pain.
In this way, the pain as well as the first inflammatory reactions of the body can be contained by the cold.

Cold is also useful for hardened muscles if it is perceived as pleasant for the person concerned.
In most cases, however, heat will harden the muscles better.

However, you can also combine heat and cold, for example in an alternating bath, and thus particularly stimulate the blood flow to the hardened muscles.
This is the best way to strengthen the body's self-healing powers.

homeopathy

Homeopathy is mostly used for muscle tension in the form of essential oils.
For example, rosemary oil and eucalyptus oil are particularly good against muscle hardening.

They can be used with a massage or placed directly on the skin.

The ingredients penetrate the skin directly through the pores and reach the hardened muscles.
Essential oils are also great in a warm bath. So the muscles can relax twice with warmth and homeopathy.

Kinesio tape

Kinesiotape is a very elastic tape, which can be used especially for recurring or stubborn muscle hardening.
It is stuck to the skin over the affected muscle in such a way that it follows the direction in which the muscle pulls.

Due to the additional tension on the skin, the tape supports the movement of the muscle and thus reduces the actual force that the muscle has to use.
Depending on the color, the tapes also have a cooling or warming effect.

Black roll

The Blackroll is used for fascia therapy and is shaped differently depending on the localization of the muscle hardening.
For example, the back muscles can be better reached with a dumbbell-like structure, while the classic role is more suitable for the thigh.

During use, the Blackroll is placed on the floor or pressed against the wall. With the hardened part of the body you now roll over the Blackroll.
The fasciae in particular are loosened by the strong point pressure. Often times they are the reason why muscles harden.

Fascia therapy

Fascia form an additional connective tissue-like connection between muscles, tendons, bones and joints.
They often form a shell around the muscles so that they can move better.
However, the muscle can stick together in its fascia or the fascia itself can stick together. These adhesions can be loosened again using fascia therapy.

The fasciae can be treated with a fascia roller such as the Blackroll. Massage techniques can also be a fascia therapy.

magnesium

Magnesium is needed in the muscles so that muscle fibers that have contracted can relax again.
The magnesium balance therefore plays an essential role in the development and treatment of muscle hardening.

Too low a magnesium level promotes the development of muscle hardening, as the individual muscle fibers cannot separate from one another.
In addition to stretching the muscles, magnesium is an effective therapy for acute cramps. To prevent muscle hardening, you should therefore consume sufficient magnesium from nuts, seeds and whole grain products, for example.

acupuncture

Acupuncture comes from traditional Chinese medicine.
According to their teaching, the energy in the body flows through different veins. Acupuncture can be used to reach certain points on these veins so that, for example, muscle hardening can be loosened.

Acupuncture is particularly often used for chronic back pain caused by muscle tension.
The acupuncture needles do not necessarily have to be inserted into the back, they can also be effective from other places on the body.

TENS / stimulation current

TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation = stimulation of the nerves with electrical impulses through the skin) or stimulation current treatment can also relieve muscle hardening.
The muscles receive their instructions for tensing and relaxing via nerve fibers that communicate with one another using electrical signals.
With TENS or electrical stimulation treatment, you can intervene in this communication from the outside and thus loosen muscle hardening.