Reducing or modifying the activities that caused muscle pain — without complete inactivity — allows the muscle to repair while preventing the deconditioning that worsens chronic pain.

Applying heat to sore muscles increases blood flow, relaxes muscle spasm, and reduces DOMS pain — particularly effective for chronic muscle tension.

Oral NSAIDs reduce acute muscle pain and inflammation, though evidence for DOMS specifically is mixed — muscle repair may be temporarily slowed by prostaglandin inhibition.

Foam rolling after exercise reduces delayed onset muscle soreness and improves recovery by applying sustained pressure to fascia and muscle trigger points.

Curcumin reduces exercise-induced muscle damage and DOMS through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms, with multiple RCTs in athletes showing significant benefit.

Static and dynamic stretching maintains muscle flexibility, reduces tension-type muscle pain, and may reduce injury risk — though evidence for DOMS reduction is less robust than for chronic muscle tension.

Therapeutic massage is one of the most effective interventions for reducing muscle soreness and tension, with both mechanical and neurological effects on pain.

Magnesium deficiency is associated with increased muscle pain, tension, and poor exercise recovery. Supplementation may reduce chronic muscle pain in deficient individuals.

Light aerobic exercise on rest days — such as walking, swimming, or cycling — accelerates recovery from muscle soreness by increasing blood flow without adding significant muscle stress.

Tart cherry juice is rich in anthocyanins with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, with multiple RCTs showing significant reduction in exercise-induced muscle pain and damage.