Research shows that the best way to treat post-exercise pain is to carry on exercising.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) appears between 24 and 72 hours after working out  and can be alleviated by light movement which has been described as ‘an internal massage for the body’.

Many different types of exercise can result in DOMS but ‘eccentric’ strain seems to cause the most soreness.  This happens when a muscle tries to resist its own lengthening.

Matt Fitzgerald, Running Coach says: ‘when you run the quadriceps (front thigh) stretches when the foot lands and at the same time resists the stretch to keep the knee from buckling.

So in essence the muscle is being pulled in two different directions at once which causes microscopic tearing of the muscle fibres and subsequent soreness’.

The exact cause of DOMS is under debate but many researchers believe it’s a result of muscle trauma repair which can include inflammation which is part of the body’s healing process.

What can you do?

The best way to help heal is to tackle the pain from several different angles:

  • Foam rollers can be used to relieve the muscle fascia
  • Swedish Deep tissue massage helps to increase the blood flow because it brings fresh blood and lymph to the affected area
  • Applying heat to the affected area can help
  • Cooling down the area with ice is very popular but only helpful in the short term for reducing inflammation – it does not have a long term therapeutic effect in terms of muscle repair
  • Diet: consuming protein with complex carbohydrates soon after completion of workouts can accelerate the healing of damaged muscle fibres.  Eating a diet rich in antioxidants can also be helpful because post-exercise soreness is partly due to oxidative stress.

 

However, a few days of pain is not always a bad thing because it usually indicates that you are making progress and your muscles are getting stronger while adapting to increased demands through exercising.

If it goes on for longer and the pain is debilitating you should see the advice of a health professional.