If you’ve ever done a hard or new workout, you’ve probably felt the pain of muscle soreness afterwards. Perhaps you were already aching even before you left the gym. Perhaps you were elated after your workout session only to discover that you couldn’t lift your arms above your head when you woke up the next morning. Both scenarios are normal.
The positive news is that after your body gets used to the new sport or exercise, you will experience almost no muscle soreness.
Here, you will learn about the different types of muscle soreness, what causes muscle soreness after exercise, and what you can do to prevent and treat it.
Some Muscle Soreness Is a Good Thing, but It Shouldn’t Last Longer than You Know.
Ripped, painful muscles are unnerving — and we should avoid inflammation, as chronic inflammation is thought to be linked to many chronic diseases. However, inflammation can be considered a useful sign for muscle growth and repair at some level according to Arent. If you give your muscles time to recover from the damage, they might grow back larger and stronger. We’re not against inflammation, but we want to curb it as soon as possible.
And you would like it to be gone so that you can get back to moving and living without pain.
Remember that you don’t have to be sore after lifting gym equipment for it to be effective. Soreness means damage, and damage is ok in small quantities, but you do not have to create damage-inducing soreness every time you work out. You do not have to be aching to know that you had a good workout.
Simple Methods to Relieve Muscle Discomfort and Soreness Following Physical Activity
1. Maintain Activity Levels
On the other hand, if you’re sore from the previous workout, it might not be something you are looking forward to. On the other hand, doing some light exercise such as taking a walk is good for the condition as it gets more blood to the affected area.
2. Massage Therapy
Massaging the sore area can help to release tight muscles and boost blood flow which will aid in the recovery process. As per a 2017 study in the Frontiers in Physiology magazine, getting a massage within 24 hours of strenuous exercise alleviated muscle soreness by more than 30%.
3. Incorporate Stretching
Engaging in light stretches, held for a few seconds, is an effective way to bring more blood to the affected sites and avoid overstretching the tissues. Spend about 10 minutes stretching after each workout to prevent muscle soreness. Before exercise, start by warming up your body with easy movements such as arm swings or marching in place, gradually increasing the intensity.
4. Utilize Heat
While ice is the most commonly used treatment for inflammation, heat is frequently preferred for post-exercise soreness as it promotes blood flow to the affected area. It is believed that even the simplest things such as hot baths or showers can lower the level of tension in muscles and improve the blood flow, thus providing temporary relief.
5. Think About Over-the-Counter (OTC) Remedies
Select creams or gels that contain menthol or capsaicin, for example, IcyHot or Aspercreme to ease muscle soreness. In 2020, JSCR published the results of a study that showed that OTC creams and gels sped up the healing process of exercise-induced muscle microtears.
6. Compression Garments
These are mostly composed of nylon, spandex or similar material and are made to cling to the skin in order to apply slight pressure to particular muscle groups. A 2016 review published in Physiology and Behavior found that they are useful in decreasing muscle soreness after workouts. This could be a result of greater blood flow from compression to the particular region.
7. Try Some Light Exercises (e. g. walking or swimming)
Do not quit all kinds of exercise. The occurrence of muscle pains after a workout is an indication that your muscles are being stretched and, eventually, getting stronger over time. Through small activity, you will be able to accelerate the release of lactic acid and its buildup.
8. Gradually Add in Eccentric Exercises
You have a higher chance of getting muscle pain if your muscles are working eccentrically. Biceps eccentric contraction is when your muscles lengthen while under tension during the “down motion” of a bicep curl. Another example of eccentric training is descending by walking or running. Increase intensity gradually.
How to Prevent Sore Muscles When You Exercise
While it’s comforting to understand that sore muscles indicate progress, the discomfort of acute soreness and DOMS remains challenging. Here are the suggestions for reducing post-exercise pain and discomfort while enhancing muscle growth and facilitating recovery:
1. Warm-up
It enhances the supply of blood to your muscles and also decreases the likelihood of injury. I suggest light cardio, like a slow walk or cycling at a low level on an exercise bike. In contrast to the common myth, you don’t need to stretch as a warm-up. Experts maintain that it will not be able to reduce your chances of having muscle soreness.
2. Drink a lot of water
It helps to release joints and circulates nutrients which you need to ensure muscle healing. It is very likely that your muscles require a lot of water and if you are dehydrated it can lead to cramps.
3. Think light
Just finish a hard training session? You might need to wait at least 48 hours before the next one, but you still want to do some light exercise that involves the sore muscles. Therefore if you are exhausted after a long run replace it with a short walk or bike ride and build up your upper body muscles for a few days instead of lying on your couch.
4. Apply moist heat
Moist heat, for example, from a warm towel or hot water bottle, might be more effective in preventing pain than dry heat sources. If you are concerned about the DOMS, it would be better to do this right after the workout as opposed to waiting until later in the day, according to the journal “The Journal of Clinical Medical Research”.
5. Cool down
Stretching right after the workout is crucial because muscles are more relaxed and flexible at that time. Research indicates it can lessen post-exercise muscle pain and speed up the recovery process.
What is the Expected Duration of Muscle Pain?
The aches of muscles that usually happen after a challenging workout will usually go away in 24 to 48 hours of rest. However, if the muscle soreness persists for more than a couple of days or even worsens, it could mean that you have sustained a serious muscle injury.
Feeling severe muscle pain while working out could indicate a muscle strain or muscle injury. If muscle pain is accompanied by shortness of breath, high fever, muscle weakness and stiff neck, go to the doctor.