[header] How to ease sore muscles [title] Apply ice immediately after exercise or injury. [step] Ice prevents painful inflammation, and applying ice shortly after a work-out can slow down the inflammation process that causes muscle soreness. Wrap a bag of ice in a towel or t-shirt and apply to the affect muscles for 20 minutes. 
Rest for 40 minutes and then reapply the ice for another 20. [substeps] Never apply ice directly to the skin or for more than 20 minutes, as this can cause frost-bite.