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Muscle Pain From Workout Reduced with Ginger

July 20, 2010: 0 comment(s)

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Ginger has long been used in eastern medicine as a remedy for common illnesses like colds. Now researchers have discovered it has anti-inflammatory properties and may relieve muscle pain.

Professor Patrick O’Connor, at the University of Georgia department of kinesiology, who is studying ginger and its pain relieving effects had this to say, “Muscle pain generally is one of the most common types of pain and eccentric exercise-induced muscle pain specifically is a common type of injury related to sports and/or recreation (e.g. gardening). Anything that can truly relieve this type of pain will be greatly welcomed by the many people who are experiencing it.”

He oversaw two clinical trials. Volunteers took capsules filled with 2 grams of raw ginger, heat-treated ginger capsules or a placebo for eleven days. Then they performed arm extensions with heavy weights to create moderate muscle injury to the arm. Researchers measured arm strength, inflammation, pain and a biochemical marker associated with pain before the exercise and daily for three days after. The ginger group had 25% less pain and it didn’t matter whether or not it had been cooked.

Given that, “The economic and personal costs of pain are extremely high,” according to O’Connor, eating ginger is a very easy way to alleviate muscle soreness.

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