Muscle soreness can sometimes occur after a vigorous workout, but it usually follows unfamiliar exercise or after a long layoff. It usually peaks one, two or three days later, and is referred to as "delayed onset muscle soreness" or "DOMS".
Most of us have experienced DOMS which is normal and very different from the acute sudden and sharp pain of an injury caused by a muscle strain that can result in swelling or bruising.
DOMS is usually associated with actions that require muscles to act as brakes, such as when walking down stairs or running downhill, or any time when a muscle performs a lengthening action, such as lowering a heavy weight, or during the lowering phase of exercises such squats and push-ups.
These lengthening muscle actions are referred to as ''eccentric'' contractions.
DOMS is thought to occur because of microscopic tears within muscle fibres, which disrupts the muscle's structure, leading to inflammation and a reduction in the muscle's capacity to produce force. The damage increases the sensitivity of pain receptors, and so the muscles feel sore when pressed or stretched.
Because the inflammatory response takes some time to develop and peak, there is usually a delay before we notice the pain.
The delay and relative degree of soreness varies between individuals and usually depends on the type, how hard and for how long the exercise was performed, and whether the same or a similar exercise was performed recently. Therefore DOMS tells us that some muscle damage has occurred but it usually does not indicate how much damage occurred.
Although it is generally agreed that DOMS will subside after a few days even without treatment, there are a number of things we can do to reduce it:
Don't do another bout of intense exercise which might aggravate the injury, but try and perform some low-intensity exercise such as walking or stationary bike riding instead.
Apply ice to the sore muscles and then later apply heat, and stretch and massage the affected muscle groups.
Take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Studies have shown that a drug such as Ibuprofen may reduce the discomfort associated with DOMS. Although these drugs will reduce the soreness temporarily, they won't actually speed the healing process.
Increase the intensity of your exercise program gradually. When starting an exercise program, or returning to exercise after an extended lay off, it is tempting to do more than necessary. Don't overdo it!
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