Post-Exercise DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness) Treatment
Madhur Kotharay
Sore Muscles and Sore Muscle Treatment
Find the right sore muscle treatment to get relief from your sore muscles.
The sore muscles most of us experience are the ones we wake up to in the morning after some type of physical activity the day before. They weren’t sore the night before and the pain is different to that experienced during exercise or to that of an injury such as a muscle strain.
These sore muscles are a result of DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), a condition affecting muscles 24 to 48 hours after physical activity. The sore muscles are in response to any unusual exertion during the activity and the body’s attempt to adapt to the increased physical demands.
Ironically, this adaptation process produces greater stamina and strength in the muscles as they recover and build in growth and size (muscle hypertrophy). In other words, sore muscles are usually an indication that they are getting stronger, leading to greater fitness!
Be sure that the muscle soreness is only moderate and that it has been caused by exercise, not by muscle overuse or injury. This is important when considering what you need to do for sore muscle relief. Any sore muscle treatment as a result of DOMS should work with the adaption process rather than against it.
The Principle of Adaptation
Adaptation is the ability of the body’s muscles to adjust to changing physical demands. This process enables us to coordinate muscle movement and to develop sports skills. By repeatedly practicing the same physical activity, it becomes second-nature and easier to perform. Only in the early stages of the activity, when it is relatively new to us, does muscle soreness usually occur.
What Causes Sore Muscles?
Muscles experience physical stress when we exercise. Certain factors challenge the adaption process, which can ultimately cause moderate muscle damage and soreness as opposed to unnecessary strain and pain. These factors are:
- Exercising in the early stages of a physical training program, which can place unfamiliar stress on the muscles.
- Taking on a physical activity too strenuous for your fitness level.
- Overtraining by overdoing a physical activity, over-exerting yourself physically or doing too much too quickly.
- Failure to warm-up and stretch before exercise, which can lead to muscle soreness or even injuries.
- Chemical agents being released from damaged muscles during physical exertion to irritate pain receptors.
- Increased blood flow to the muscles during physical exertion to cause swelling and irritation to pain receptors.
Why Are Muscles Sore?
It is natural for your muscles to feel sore the next day after exercising. By increasing the intensity, you increase the stress on your muscles. The sore muscles then need to recover to increase their endurance and strength. So basically, muscle recovery leads to improved muscle function. Let’s look at this process in greater detail.
By exercising hard, you stress your muscle tissue beyond what it is used to. Your muscles begin to burn, which indicates muscle damage. Because of this damage, your muscles feel sore the next day. Muscle soreness is delayed because damage to the muscles consists of small microscopic tears in the muscles after they have undergone lengthening contractions. Inflammation sets in after 24 to 48 hours, which then causes the soreness.
It used to be thought that next-day muscle soreness was caused by a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles. Lactic acid in the muscle’s tissue is completely washed out 30 to 60 minutes after physical activity. With most muscle soreness occurring 24 to 48 hours after exercising, the cause of sore muscles cannot be lactic acid build up in the muscles.
Muscle biopsies taken immediately after physical exertion show disruption of z-band filaments holding the muscle fibers together as they slide over each other during a contraction. Next-day muscle soreness (DOMS) is solely caused by damage to the muscle fibers themselves.
Can You Avoid Sore Muscles?
You can only avoid sore muscles by doing everything at the same pace and intensity as you have always done it, which is basically unnatural. Muscles must be stressed enough to strengthen them but not too much to cause them injury. Normal healthy muscles need to be tested through physical activity so sore muscles cannot be avoided.
Here are some tricks to help you avoid the type of sore muscles that cause injury.
- Warm up properly before any physical activity.
- Gradually increase either the intensity or the duration of your workout, not both at once.
- Be aware of your fitness level and don’t overtrain, particularly in the early stages of any exercise routine.
- Use correct posture and positioning when exercising.
- Don’t increase both intensity and duration during the same week.
- Finish your exercise session with a thorough cool-down and stretch.
Sore Muscle Treatment Tips
The only “cure” for sore muscles is time for them to recover and heal.
- Wait for the muscles to heal before working at the same level that originally caused the muscle soreness.
- Move the sore muscles slowly and easily until they return to their normal state.
- Work below your previous intensity until their strength returns.
No-one has discovered a panacea for DOMS yet but there are remedies that have proved to be of some help in the recovery process. These include ice, rest, anti-inflammatory medication, massage and heat treatment. To reduce sore muscles;
- Gradually warm up your muscles to increase the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles before you work them. Your joints will also become less stiff and your body better adapted to the demands of the exercise.
- Stay hydrated.
- Keep your muscles fuelled with good nutrition and good dietary habits.
- Give your body time to recover properly so that it can adapt slowly to your improved levels of performance.
- A massage will reduce muscle soreness by stimulating the neutrophils (white blood cells that fight inflammation).
- Relaxing in the pool, a hot tub or a salt bath for 15 minutes will reduce muscle tension.
- Include stretching and flexibility training as part of your long term exercise program.
While the recommendations on this page are a good starting point, you'll get a lot more benefit when you use the tips and techniques from my free Stretching Tips eBook and MP3 Audio.
In them, you'll learn how to stretch properly and improve your flexibility and fitness quickly so you can become loose, limber and pain free. Plus, you'll discover little known stretching secrets that will revolutionize the way you think about stretching and flexibility.
You'll get access to the 7 stretching secrets that 90% of people aren't using and discover why most people who stretch regularly will never improve their flexibility.
Plus, you'll also learn how to use simple stretching techniques effectively and safely to improve your full body mobility and freedom of movement so you can...
- Get rid of injury, soreness and pain;
- Recovery quickly from annoying sports injury; and
- Do away with stiff, tight muscles and joints for good.
And, it's totally free! So go ahead and get your free copy of my Stretching Tips eBook and MP3 Audio now.
Don’t Stop Exercising
Sore muscles are a natural outcome of any kind of physical activity, particularly in the beginning stages of an exercise program. Don’t give up exercising altogether just because you have sore muscles. Give your body time to recover and continue with your activity. By doing this, you are allowing your body to adapt to higher stress in a very healthy and natural way, which will lead to stronger muscles and greater fitness.
About the Author: Brad is often referred to as the Stretch Coach and has even been called the Stretching Guru. Magazines such as Runners World, Bicycling, Triathlete, Swimming & Fitness, and Triathlon Sports have all featured his work. Amazon has listed his books on five Best-Seller lists. Google cites over 100,000 references to him and his work on the internet. And satisfied customers from 122 countries have sent 100's of testimonials. If you want to know about stretching, flexibility or sports injury management, Brad Walker is the go-to-guy.
Madhur Kotharay