What causes delayed-onset muscle soreness?
Commencing an exercise programme is exciting because of the various goals you may have and the numerous benefits you are likely to gain.
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However, there are moments after exercising that you may feel a lot of discomfort or muscle soreness for several days afterwards and this may leave you wondering why you are still in pain.
The discomfort you experience is known as Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). This is usually common after excessive exercise and especially when you engage in eccentric - muscles are lengthened but at the same time contract - movements for example skipping, walking or jogging uphill.
Soreness is frequently present on the first day after exercise, however this will increase around 48 hours afterwards the original workout.
As the body repairs the injury, the subsequent periods you exercise your body is able to respond better and without pain. In general DOMS may only last for a few days.
What causes DOMS?
The precise cause of DOMS is not completely understood. The condition may occur when you place your muscles under a lot of strain, causing muscle tears and in response to the injury, the body tries to repair itself.
As a result your muscle strength, movement and function are usually impaired in the days after an intense exercise.
What are the Symptoms of DOMS?
You may experience a dull muscle ache within a couple of days after the exercise with a lot of discomfort in the muscles you used most during the exercise, for example if you were engaged in skipping, you may feel the most pain in your legs.
You may feel the pain only when the muscle is stretched or placed under pressure, not usually when at rest.
Some individuals may also have temporal loss of muscle power, minimised movements at the joints and sometimes slight swelling of affected muscles. However, once you begin gentle movements your sore muscles will eventually begin to feel less sore.
What can you do about DOMS?
Resting your muscles or engaging in very low intensity exercises for example cycling will help improve the movement in your affected joints.
Applying ice over sore muscles aids in alleviating pain. Place ice in a wet towel and apply to the affected muscles for 15 -20 minutes, as often as you can throughout the day.
You need to avoid intense exercise whilst you are recovering as your muscles have a decreased capacity to absorb any shock during this phase and a reduced ability to deal to additional demands.
Can DOMS be prevented?
Whenever you begin an exercise programme you need to prepare your body for it and progress or build up slowly to allow your muscles to get used to it. Build up your exercise programme gradually and resist the urge to suddenly increase activities.
Permit your body to get used to the programme for at least a week before you implement changes in the exercise programme. Alterations should also be small increments to prevent any injury from occurring.
Always warm up and cool down before you begin each 'exercise' session and wear appropriate footwear.
DOMS may be a normal response and may form part of an adaptation process which leads to your muscles improving in strength.
When the injury is repaired, it helps your body perform the movement better and respond without having intense pain.
The writer is a Senior Physiotherapist at the 37 Military Hospital.(panerius @live.com)