Understanding delayed onset muscle soreness
If you're embarking on a fitness journey, or getting back in shape after time off, the toughest moment often isn't during the workout, it's the days that follow. You wake up feeling as if your body has been punched and aching all over, and that's what's known as “muscle fever,” or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Some fitness enthusiasts consider DOMS a good sign of a job well done, and you can reduce your chances of experiencing it by warming up properly and stretching well before a workout. But if you're trying a new exercise you haven't done before, there's a high chance you'll feel it.
DOMS is characterized by a sore, aching, painful feeling in the muscles after a new or intense exercise. The soreness typically starts a day after the activity and usually peaks within 48 hours.
Common causes of DOMS
Prolonged physical exertion is a common cause, often felt after strength training, jogging beyond your usual limit, jumping, or aerobic-style workouts. Anyone can experience DOMS regardless of fitness level, age, lifestyle, or muscle condition, though studies suggest young athletes may be more prone to it, since their muscles aren't yet fully matured to handle the intense workouts their sport demands.
A new workout routine is another common trigger. When you take on a new exercise, your muscles aren't yet accustomed to the movement, and the added stretching and elongation involved can lead to more muscle pain than your usual routine causes.
Managing DOMS when it happens
DOMS doesn't usually need medical intervention and typically resolves on its own. However, if symptoms worsen and you notice debilitating pain, darker urine color, or swelling around the limbs, seek treatment promptly. Physical therapists and physicians generally advise keeping the muscles moving unless the pain is intolerable.
Other things that can help reduce DOMS include a gentle massage on the affected area to relax the muscles and increase blood flow, foam rolling to loosen knotted muscles, an ice pack to numb nerve endings, alternating hot and cold showers, topical pain-relief balms, and compression clothing to reduce pain and improve blood flow.
Reducing your risk of DOMS
Warming up matters, we can't stress this enough. A proper warm-up before exercise is one of the most important ways to prevent DOMS. Massage after a strenuous workout, sometimes paired with electrical stimulation your PT can provide, has been shown to result in less muscle tenderness, less pain, and more relaxed elbow flexion.
Repeating the same exercise over time also helps, as your body adapts to a routine performed again and again, the soreness and pain tend to fade, which helps minimize and prevent muscle injury and damage going forward. Rest is just as important, so be sure to get enough sleep as needed. And always follow your physical therapist's guidance when it comes to managing your DOMS. At Tribeca Physical Therapy, we provide the treatment and patient education you need for this and more, give us a call or send an inquiry.