DOMS – Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness – is pain in worked muscle groups, which occur 24-48 (sometimes up to 72) hours after exercise.
First described in 1902 by Theodore Hough, DOMS was "fundamentally the result of ruptures within the muscle". Subsequent studies show that it is not ruptures throughout entire muscle fibers, but micro-tears across fibers. [6]
Also called muscle fever, is the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours to days after unaccustomed or extremely strenuous exercise. [1] It is caused by eccentric (muscle-lengthening) exercise. After such exercise, the muscle adapts rapidly to prevent muscle damage, and thereby soreness, if the exercise is repeated. [3] It is one symptom of exercise-induced muscle damage, the other being acute muscle soreness, which appears during and immediately after exercise.
If training progresses too quickly, excessive tearing can occur, resulting in DOMS. If you start a sport or exercise which your body is not accustomed to, DOMS can occur for the first few sessions. This is one of the reasons why training should start very lightly and progress gradually.
Many fitness experts recommend that both novice and expert athletes follow the “ten percent rule”, which sets a limit on increases in weekly training. This guideline simply states that you should increase your activity no more than 10 percent per week. That includes distance, intensity, weight lifted and time of exercise. For new exercisers/beginner lifters, 5% may be more appropriate.
What has been observed to accompany soreness are micro-tears of myofilaments, especially at the Z-disc, as well as damage to the muscle's connective tissue. Tissue damage may relate most directly to soreness, as it may increase the mechanical sensitivity of the muscle pain receptors (nocioceptors), and cause pain when touched, or with stretching, due to the delay in the inflammatory response. [1]
(*side-note: the relationship between damage, inflammation and soreness is not yet completely understood.)
Inflammation is your body's response to injury and helps to start the process of repair and recovery. And one of the steps in this process is an increase in the production of immune cells, which reach a peak 24-48 hours after exercise. These cells then produce chemical substances that make the pain receptors responsible for the transmission of dull, aching pain signals – group IV – more sensitive. Whenever you move, these pain receptors are stimulated. Because they're far more sensitive to pain than normal, you end up feeling sore. [5]
Muscle ache and tightness often resulting in a decreased range of motion. Any discomfort should start to ease within 3 days post-exercise & return to normal within a week. If your symptoms persist, it is definitely worth visiting your Doctor, to check for injury.
Preventing DOMS
- The best way of treating DOMS, is by preventing it!
- Always perform a warm-up prior to any high intensity exercise.
- Always cool-down and stretch following exercise.
- When starting a new activity, do little and often to allow your muscles to become accustomed to these new strains.
- Whether you are a regular exerciser or a beginner, build-up gradually and allow your body time to recover in between sessions.
Treatment of DOMS
- Time - allow the muscles to heal without over stressing them again - wait at least a week and until all symptoms have cleared before performing the same exercise again.
- Massage may help reduce the effects.
- Very light, preferably non weight bearing aerobic exercise and stretching may also be beneficial to improve the blood flow, warm the muscles and improve range of motion.
- Hydrotherapy and spa baths my help reduce the effects of DOMS.
- Alternating hot and cold (ice) baths - although there is no scientific proof that this is effective it is often used by professional athletes who believe it to be beneficial.
Author's Note: from my readings > No ONE method has been shown to significantly speed the recovery from delayed onset muscle soreness.
Massage has shown varying results that may be attributed to the time of massage application and the type of massage technique used. It can reduce the discomfort associated with DOMS and perhaps even swelling, but does not seem to affect muscle function. Cryotherapy (ice baths or ice packs), stretching, homeopathy, ultrasound and electrical current modalities [2] have demonstrated no effect in clinical trials on the alleviation of muscle soreness or other DOMS related effects. You can also use Vitamin C, but beware over-dosing on ascorbic acid can have detrimental health effects.
ALWAYS make sure to get a good warm-up in before all workouts, but especially for heavy lifting. And, essentially,
R.I.C.E (*
Rest, Ice, Compression & Elevation) a good plan (*well, the compression can be painful... but you can compress, during activity/exercise within the DOMS timeframe - elastic "Tensor" bandages, e.g.) [7]
Sports Massage or a Foam Roller may help. Light yoga or stretching, swimming or pilates to regain range of motion. In extreme cases, Aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen sodium may help to temporarily reduce the muscle soreness, although they won't actually speed healing. Be careful, however, if you plan to take them before exercise. Studies reported that taking ibuprofen before endurance exercise is not recommended.
Hope this shines some light on those “GAAAH IM TOO STIFF I CANT MOVE” days, after an EPIC Dumb-Hard workout!
Train Dillegently,
Mia
Ps – I LOVE those days :)
^1 Armstrong RB. Mechanisms of exercise-induced delayed onset muscular soreness: a brief review. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1984 Dec;16(6):529-38
^2 Cheung K, Hume P, Maxwell L Delayed onset muscle soreness : treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Med. 2003;33(2):145-64
^3 Thompson D, Bailey DM, Hill J, Hurst T, Powell JR, Williams C. Prolonged vitamin C supplementation and recovery from eccentric exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2004 Jun;92(1-2):133-8. Epub
^4 Stauber, W.T., Clarkson, P.M., Fritz, V.K., & Evans, W.J. (1990). Extracellular matrix disruption and pain after eccentric muscle action. Journal of Applied Physiology, 69, 868-874
^5 Nosaka, Ken (2008). "Muscle Soreness and Damage and the Repeated-Bout Effect". In Tiidus, Peter M. Skeletal muscle damage and repair. Human Kinetics. pp. 59–76
^6 via: Wikipedia - Hough, Theodore (1902). "Ergographic studies in muscular soreness". American Journal of Physiology 1902 (7): 76–92.
^7 Link >> http://jp.physoc.org/cgi/ijlink?linkType=PDF&journalCode=ajplegacy&resid=7/1/76
^8 NSCA: Essentials of Strength Training & Conditioning 3rd Ed., pp. 380, 408-409
^9 Mitcheli, Lyle J. (1995). "The Sports Medicine Bible" p. 46-48, 50
