Almost
everyone has experienced being sore at one point or another. Whether it be from
working out or taking those long flights of stairs, you wake up the next
morning and your muscles are aching. For the physically unfit, muscle soreness
can be quite frequent. A lack of regular exercise will make your muscles feel
overexerted after seemingly menial tasks. Understanding what soreness is can
help reduce instances and potentially prevent it entirely.
اضافة اعلان
Common types
of muscle soreness
Muscle
soreness may typically be divided into three, relatively distinct categories. First
is typical mild muscle soreness. This type of soreness is generally the most
common and can result from mild exercise or overexertion that is not typical in
your lifestyle such as climbing a long flight of stairs. The exact cause of
pain in this category is debatable but it is commonly accepted to be due to
micro trauma to muscle fibers and the buildup of lactic acid.
Lactic acid
is a biochemical produced in your body as a result of anaerobic exercise. What
this means is that during steady exertion, the oxygen supply to the muscles may
become restricted. When there is a lack of oxygen to the muscles, an
alternative to supply the muscles with energy must be introduced. This
alternative produces lactic acid as a byproduct.
When lactic
acid is built up in muscles, it results in a disruption of the normal
physiology of the muscles. Additionally, lactic acid is believed to be the
source of the “burning” sensation during exercise. This type of soreness is
considered good, as it causes no real impairment to the muscles and generally
lasts up to three days. If the exercise becomes regular, the muscles will adapt
to the new regimen and increase blood flow to the muscles. As a result, this
type of soreness will no longer occur.
The second
type of muscle soreness, called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), is more
severe in nature. DOMS may occur as a result of intense, unfamiliar exercise. This
type of soreness can be seen in people who weightlift for the first time. This
type of soreness is unique in that the soreness is typically felt most after 48
hours and resolves itself after a few days to a week. The cause of soreness is
attributed to mild muscle damage and inflammation or swelling. DOMS may be slightly
debilitating, as the damage may prevent full muscular contraction resulting in
stiffness.
The third
and final type of muscle soreness is the most extreme and incapacitating. This
type is called injury-type muscle soreness and, as the name implies, is the
result of injury to the muscle tissue and potentially other connective tissue. The
pain felt from the injury is often felt almost immediately and is characterized
as a sharp pain. Depending on the tissue involved and the severity of the
injury, recovery may be a lengthy process.
How to get
rid of muscle soreness
Ultimately,
muscle soreness stems from muscle damage, whether on a micro level or a macro
level. The tissues of the muscle need to heal and that may take time.
Fortunately, there are methods that can help expediate the process and prevent
future incidences.
For mild
muscle sores, the key is reducing the buildup of lactic acid within the
muscles. Remaining hydrated before, during, and after exercise is crucial.
Doing do helps increase blood flow, which helps your body flush out byproducts
that result from exercise, particularly lactic acid.
A balance
between rest and exercise is also important. Rest gives your muscles time to
repair themselves. Planning a day of rest is recommended when exercising
regularly, but it’s important to incorporate basic movement of the muscles via
stretches and light rotations into the rest day.
Breathing is
also important. By inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth
during breath exercises, you sufficiently oxygenate the blood, which can then
be delivered to areas of high demand.
Stretching
and light warm-ups also help reduce muscle soreness from occurring. Incorporating
these routines into your daily life and prior to exercise help improve
circulation. Additionally, supplements such as magnesium or drinking orange
juice before workouts may reduce instances of muscle soreness, but it is
recommended to speak to your local fitness trainer or doctor prior to incorporating
them into your meals.
DOMS is
similar to mild sores, in that blood circulation improves recovery. The main
emphasis of circulation is focused on distributing nutrients to muscles as
opposed to removing lactic acid build up. More specific to DOMS is the
alternative of massage therapy. When done within two hours of exercise, the
pressure applied is believed to reduce neutrophil migration, which is a key
component of inflammatory response.
This message can be done by rolling the
muscles with your hands, or more effectively with tools and devices designed
for messaging. Common devices include foam rollers which can be found online at
Ubuy.jo at varying prices. Commonly used machines are muscle massaging guns, which
can be found at DNA in Amman but are more costly.
With muscle
injury, recovery can be a length process and consulting with your healthcare
provider is necessary. Regardless of the severity and extent of damage, rest is
the common course of action.
There is a wide variety of supplements that evidence
has shown reduces recovery time, but always talk to your doctor beforehand, as they
may interfere with other medications.
Prevention
of injury is relatively simple but nevertheless important. Avoid exercises and
workouts that may be overly strenuous and self-evaluate if certain exercises
are within your capacity. Feeling pain and soreness is natural and pushing
through it has benefits mentally and physically.
Completely ignoring pain,
however, especially if it is severe, may be detrimental to your health. Always
consult with your fitness trainer before attempting new exercises and have an
observer on standby to help when needed.
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