Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is muscle pain that is related to exercise. It is most common after an excessive exercise session or exercise that your body is unaccustomed too. One of the most common causes of DOMS is exercise such as long-distance running or plyometrics where your muscles are contracting whilst lengthening.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is often described as muscle strains. There is a micro-trauma that results in an inflammatory response. When DOMS occurs creatine kinase and lactic dehydrogenase are observed in the blood. DOMS causes impairment to muscle strength, function and motions due to swelling, pain and altered muscle firing patterns.

Symptoms

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) has many classic symptoms that generally occur 24 to 48 hours after exercise. This is usually experienced as a “dull muscle ache” as well as muscle tenderness and stiffness. Passive stretching can make your symptoms worse.

Other symptoms that may be experienced are short term loss of range of motion, strength and swelling of the muscles. Moving your sore muscles will cause them to feel less painful.

Treatment:

You can treat delayed onset muscle soreness with anti-inflammatory measures and active rest. Whilst deep tissue massage should not occur in the first 24 hours, gentle massage and pressure clothes have been proven to provide a reduction in the severity and duration of delayed onset muscle soreness. You should make it a priority to avoid aggressive exercise and excessive stretching during the early phase of your recovery.

Prevention:

You can help to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness in a number of ways. These can include:

– Making sure that you do a cool down following exercise such as gentle running.

– By gradually building up the amount of exercise that you do when increasing your training load.

– When lifting weights, only increase your sets or reps by approximately 10% per week.

If you follow these suggestions you will be able to minimise the delayed onset muscle soreness that you will experience.

 

Speak To Your Myotherapist

The good news for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is that the effects will subside over time and have no long term impacts on your health! It is common for most instances of DOMS to subside within a few days.

If you experience any of the following symptoms it is important to speak with your myotherapist:

– Experiencing pain that was more sudden in onset during exercise

– Pain that is still present after more than 48 hours post-exercise

– Pain located in the joints as opposed to being isolated in the muscles

– Discomfort or swelling of the joints

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