The Best At-Home Treatments To Help Soothe Sore Muscles and Aid Your Recovery

Deep tissue massages can offer wonderous relief to sore, aching muscles, but most of us don’t have an on-hand masseuse, ready to get to work. In comes a tool you’ve already likely heard buzz about: TheraGun Prime Plus Massage Gun. The versatile device allows you to customize the best treatment, heat and pressure for you. There are five massage speeds, three heat settings and an array of attachments to choose from so you can speed up your recovery, reduce soreness and relieve pain. Deal with neck, back, shoulder, and leg pain and even use it to treat injuries and to reduce inflammation in sensitive areas. It’s cordless so you can maneuver it as you need. This kit already includes four attachments but you can add more (just make sure they are compatible with this model). Pair it with the TheraBody App for step-by-step guided routines to help you achieve your goals.

No sauna? No problem. You can bring the sauna experience to your home, and still detoxify your body, relieve stress and improve sleep with CurrentBody’s Infrared Sauna Blanket. The bag employs infrared lamps with adjustable temperature settings to warm your body directly, triggering its chemical reactions, raising its internal temperature and prompting it to respond with its natural cooling response—sweat. According to CurrentBody, the treatment reduces inflammation, strengthens your immune system, removes toxins and even burns up to 600 calories in a one hour session. Added benefits include balancing cortisol and “happy” hormones to help reduce stress, boost mood, improve sleep, plus more. To use it as part of a post-workout recovery routine, use the Infrared Sauna Blanket for 35 minutes, followed by an ice cold shower or ice bath and then stretch. The bag comes with a cotton towel insert.

The CurrentBody Wellness Infrared PEMF Mat is another great solution to aid recovery. It combines Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy with infrared heat to help you heal, post-workout. PEMF Therapy works by releasing low-frequency pulses that mimic the earth’s natural magnetic field, supporting your body’s natural healing process for faster recovery. The infrared heat penetrates deep into the skin to relax muscles, boost circulation and more. Coupled, these two technologies energise your cells, boost oxygen flow and support toxin removal. The device offers 9 PEMF intensity levels while the infrared heat reaches up to 75°C, allowing you to find the perfect setting for you. The mat itself is infused with amethyst and obsidian stones (the forner promotes relaxation and circulation, while the latter retains heat for deep, soothing recovery). The mat includes a padded headrest for maximum comfort.

Ice baths (also known as cold plunges and ice water immersions) are an invigorating ritual with roots in many ancient civilizations and more modern Nordic traditions. It is used in part to speed muscle recovery, improve circulation and strengthen the body. Ice Bath Pro Max Extra Large Athlete Cold Plunge Bath Tub offers a generous 100-gallon capacity with its spacious dimensions, being suitable for individuals up to 6’7 tall. The outer shell is constructed with polyester, rip-stop nylon and PVC, while the inner layer consists of pearl cotton, weatherproof PVC, and waterproof coated materials to help the tub sustain cold temperatures while remaining durable. It’s portable, designed with ergonomics in mind and easy to set up. As with other recommendations, check with your doctor to ensure ice baths are a safe option for you as it’s not recommended for some individuals with vascular disease or other conditions.

If you prefer warmer bath soaks, try bath soaks to help you and your muscles relax. Look for bath salts with healing ingredients such as menthol, eucalyptus and lavender. We like Canadian-made WIC Family Naturals Ache & Pain Bath Soak, which includes none of the bad stuff (phthalates, parabens, fragrance, dyes or preservatives) but does combine the good. In addition to menthol, eucalyptus and lavender, it also blends lemongrass, copaiba essential oils, methylsulfonylmethane and camphor. These act together to help relieve inflammation in as little as 15-20 minutes. The sea salt and Canadian glacier mineral salts offer an alternative to a traditional epsom salt bath, with over 50 trace minerals present.

You might know who Tom Brady is even if you haven’t watched him win seven NFL Super Bowl championships. Brady is one of those athletes who doesn’t seem to age; he retired in 2023 at the relatively advanced pro-athlete age of 45, but his fitness continues to be regarded as noteworthy. Brady is aware he tapped into something special (even if not the fountain of youth itself), and in 2020 he wrote a book titled “The TB12 Method: How to Do What You Love, Better and for Longer,” outlining his training, conditioning and wellness system. Part of it focuses on pliability—the idea that you can prime your muscles to work better and harder if they are loosened so they become long, resilient, and can move without restriction (the opposite are short, dense and tight muscles). Brady and his then-coach Alex Guerrero, emphasized the importance of loosening tense muscles and relieving lactic acid buildup through myofascial release and using foam rollers. While Brady and Guerrero have since parted ways, and you may have a hard time finding TB12’s pliability rollers in Canada (the company now focuses on supplements), you can still apply the same principles with a quality foam roller. We recommend this 2-in-1 Trigger Point Back Exercise Roller by Fulelarry because you get a high density muscle roller for deep tissue massage, and a second smaller, smooth roller for softer massage. It also comes with a carry bag, and exercise bands so you can prime your muscles pre- and post-workout.

You can also apply topical solutions and essential oils post-bath to continue supporting muscle recovery. Solutions that contain ingredients such as lidocaine, menthol, or methyl salicylate can be effective. Essential oils like peppermint (cooling), eucalyptus (anti-inflammatory), rosemary (analgesic), lavender (calming and anti-inflammatory), and chamomile (pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory) can also help. These oils are often applied topically on their own or as part of balms, salves or sprays. We like Arthimed-Plus. The Canadian-made non-irritating, all-natural pain relief spray can help relieve back pain, knee pain, arthritis and more, and it also comes with a travel-sized bottle so you can bring it with you and apply it, mess-free. Arthimed-Plus is NPN-certified (meaning it’s a Canadian licensed natural product with a unique traceable number).

Proper hydration and the replacement of electrolytes play a key role in muscle recovery (and wellness on the whole). While regular water and coconut water are great options for many, you may want to consider adding electrolytes to your bottle or travel cup (insert link). We enjoy both the flavour and the collagen add-on in Canadian-made Organika’s Electrolytes + Enhanced Collagen powder (Wildberry flavour). Each serving contains 5 grams of collagen, is sugar-free and also free of artificial flavours, colours or sweeteners.

And of course, no recovery list would be complete without mention of rest. Adequate sleep helps your body heal damaged tissue, replenish energy stores, and release hormones that promote muscle repair and growth. For this reason, you want to make sure that the hours you have available to you accomplish this as optimally as possible. While some people may turn to melatonin as a sleep aid, you may find that a sleep mask and ear plugs will do the trick. We like this WAOAW Sleep Mask and ear plug combo. The “3D contoured” sleep mask blocks out light and rests comfortably on your face. The straps are adjustable and wide to avoid tangling in your hair. The combo comes with a travel pouch, so you can bring it with you anywhere you go.

While not the first go-to, over-the-counter pain relievers may be an accessible option for mild to moderate sore muscles and pain. For these, both ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be effective. Ibuprofen helps tame inflammation, while acetaminophen is better for fever and general pain (and may be a better option for those who don’t tolerate ibuprofen).