A heating pad or warm bath may also help to ease the discomfort temporarily, but ice is a better treatment in the long-run because it actually helps to decrease the swelling and inflammation in your muscles.
Mild to moderate muscle soreness is common and generally harmless. On the other hand, severe muscle soreness can be damaging and dangerous. In severe cases, the muscles can break down so much that you can become very ill and cause damage to your kidneys. Seek medical attention immediately if you experience any of the following after a workout or activity that causes muscle soreness:.
It WILL get better and your muscles will thank you later. Skip to main content. July 02, , am EDT. No pain, no gain. Lactic acid build-up. An indicator of muscle growth. These are all phrases that we tend to associate with DOMS. Photo by Jonathan Borba from Pexels. The verdict: Not true. During exercise, your body needs energy, and it breaks down molecules to get that.
Lactate is actually a by-product of the metabolic process and serves as a buffer and slows down the rate at which the cells become acidic. A study in Clinics in Sports Medicine found that DOMS is the result of microtrauma in the muscles and surrounding connective tissues, which causes inflammation.
The reason that eccentric muscle contraction think lowering a dumbbell back down in a biceps curl is more likely to be the culprit is because it places a higher load on your muscles compared to concentric contraction. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels.
According to Mike, studies show that soreness itself using a scale from 0 to 10 to assess the level of soreness is a poor indicator of muscle adaptation and growth. There are many factors that influence how DOMS presents itself in individuals.
However, there is also a genetic component to how sensitive we are to pain and soreness. Photo by Pexels. In that case, it might be worth visiting your doctor or physical therapist. If you have severe muscle soreness—meaning you have trouble doing day-to-day activities like walking down the stairs or lifting your arm—doing heavy exercise can make things feel worse and should generally be avoided until you feel better, according to the American College of Sports Medicine ACSM 1.
Adler , Ph. The key here is to do a different exercise and work a different set of muscles than the one that initially made your muscles sore, Kevin M. Pennington, A. But there are a few things you can do to help ease the pain and find DOMS relief while you wait. Yes, this sucks. This is because activity increases circulation, improving blood flow throughout the body. While more research needs to be done, we do know that blood carries nutrients and oxygen to muscle tissue, he explains.
If you can manage it, Seedman also recommends some very light strength training. Step two: Drink water. The main theory here is that water helps flush out waste products, Seedman says. When muscles break down, they release waste products and toxins that need to be filtered out of the body, he explains, and these waste products are associated with increased soreness. Again, the keyword is light. While stretching pre-workout usually focuses on dynamic moves, you can use static stretching after your workout , as SELF recently reported.
This can help increase your range of motion, and, since your muscles are already warm, it can feel easier to get in that good stretch. So how do you know how far is too far? Protein is a critical nutrient for building and maintaining muscle, so it plays a huge role in helping your muscles recover from a tough workout. While needs vary, people who work out should aim for about 1.
Ice can help reduce the swelling that sometimes comes along with extreme soreness, says Seedman. Bringing the swelling down can help reduce some pain-causing tension. However, heat can also minimize tension and pain signals, says Seedman. So if relaxing in a warm bath makes you feel better, do that. McCall also notes that this may help with circulation.
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