10 Tips for After Exercise Muscle Pain

Why Does Muscle Pain Occur After Exercise?

Post-exercise muscle pain signals that you’ve damaged muscle tissue, according to the American College of Sports Medicine^[2]. Body muscles lengthen and contract to support movement during your physical activities. Prolonged or repeated physical activities put too much strain on the muscles. As a result, damage occurs to the muscle tissue. The body immediately begins repairs to heal the damage caused. Your muscles will become stronger if you go through this repair process by paying attention to your nutrition, activities and sleep.

The types of exercise most likely to result in DOMS include:

• Strength training
• Running
• Walking downhill
• Step aerobics
• Jumping

Post-exercise muscle pain is more common, especially in the following situations:

• When you normally start exercising more often
• When you increase the intensity of your exercise 
• When you include high-intensity training in your exercise routine
• When you add new exercises to your daily routine

Experts state that it is due to microscopic muscle tears that develop during exercise although the cause of DOMS is not known for certain^[3].However, your muscles become resistant to the exercise you do over time. The body uses satellite cells to repair and create more tissue against micro-tears. This protects muscles from future damage and aids in muscle growth. It’s important to get enough protein if you’re on a diet. You also need to allow your muscles to rest for the process to occur.

While every exercise causes some damage, certain workouts can lead to more tearing of the muscles. An exercise program that involves more intense training than usual, especially one that is new to you, will cause more damage and pain in the muscles.

Muscle pain usually begins between 12 and 24 days after exercise, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. It tends to peak after 24 to 72 hours. After this time, you should feel the pain decrease. The level of pain you feel during DOMS also varies depending on the type, duration and frequency of activity. DOMS makes itself felt with the following symptoms:

• Muscles that are sensitive to touch
• Burning pain when you work a particular muscle group
• Discomfort when standing, sitting, squatting, going up and down stairs

Sharp pains that occur immediately after activity may be a sign of injuries such as a strain or sprain rather than DOMS. These injuries may occur as a result of stretching or tearing of a muscle, tendon or ligament. The pain felt as a result of injuries is more severe than DOMS and requires medical intervention. Additionally, pain that persists for days after activity can also be considered a sign of injury. It is important to consult a doctor when you experience such a situation.

Is Muscle Pain Good After Exercise?

Muscle soreness after exercise is fine, but it’s important to make sure you’re experiencing DOMS. If you experience sharp pain right after exercising, it could be an injury. You should consult a doctor in such a case. If your discomfort persists for more than a week immediately after, if you’re experiencing limitations in your daily activities, or if you feel redness or swelling in your muscles, it’s essential to consult a physician.

Pain indicates that you are working your muscles intensely when you experience DOMS. As a result of the exercise, micro-tears in the muscles are repaired and your muscle mass increases. You will start to feel less muscle pain especially when exercise becomes a routine. Because your muscles adapt to your routine. You can increase the exercise intensity by consulting your trainer in such cases.

Is It Possible to Exercise While Experiencing Muscle Pain?

Exercise can be performed with muscle pain. However, you need to give your body a rest period when you have pain. Because the body repairs itself much better during sleep. However, you can also do the following exercises while you are in pain:

• Stretching: Stretching exercises allow your muscles to stretch. You feel relief in both your body and muscles thanks to stretching.
• Cardio: Low-intensity cardio exercises, such as walking, don’t put too much strain on your muscles. You give your muscles the time they need to rest when you perform cardio. At the same time, cardio helps you burn fat. Burning fat while increasing your muscle mass not only helps you increase your fitness but also helps you look fitter.

Besides, you can focus on muscle groups you have not worked on before. In addition, full-range exercises such as walking and cycling cause more blood to be pumped through the muscles. The increase in blood flow can help you get rid of pain early. However, you need to be careful not to overstrain your muscles in this case. One study showed that exercises that increase blood flow are as effective as massage for muscle pain^[4].

When you have muscle pain, other than light training, doing overly challenging exercises will not strengthen your muscles, on the contrary, it will prevent muscle repair from starting. However, when you have muscle pain, you need to make sure you are experiencing DOMS before exercising. Otherwise, your body may suffer injuries. You should stop exercising and consult a doctor, especially if the following conditions accompany the pain:

• Increased resting heart rate
• Depression and mood changes
• Muscle and joint pain that does not go away for a long time
• Overfatigue
• Poor athletic performance even after rest
• Swelling and bruising accompanied by pain
• Having difficulty with daily activities

Overtraining occurs when an individual works for extended periods of time without taking enough breaks. Overtraining can cause additional muscle damage and lead to injury. Allowing the body adequate time to recover between workouts is crucial for muscle growth and overall health. Symptoms of overtraining are as follows:

• Burnout
• Injuries
• Performance degradation
• Diminishing appetite
• Weakened immune system

How to Relieve Muscle Pain After Exercise?

Try to cool-down after exercising to relieve post-exercise muscle pain. You gradually lower your heart rate unlike a warm-up, during a cool-down. Thus, you adjust your body back to a state of rest.

Especially, if you’re starting a new fitness routine or trying a new type of exercise, it’s also helpful to go slow at first. Gradually increasing the intensity and frequency of exercise can help prevent pain. Additionally, the following 10 suggestions may help you relieve your post-exercise muscle pain:

Take a 5 to 10 minute stroll or ride a stationary bike as a form of exercise. Stretching can also help remove lactic acid from the body for the next 5 to 10 minutes. Lactic acid produced when you exercise can cause a burning sensation in your muscles. Clearing your body of lactic acid can accelerate the recovery process.

• Warm up before exercise: Warm-ups increase blood flow to your muscles and reduce the risk of injury. Light cardio exercises can be a good choice for warming up.
• Drink plenty of water: It helps loosen joints and carries the nutrients the body needs to support muscle recovery. Besides, dehydration can trigger cramps.

• Include light exercises in your training program: You can wait 48 hours to give your muscles time to rest after a tough workout. However, taking short walks or cycling outdoors is much more beneficial than spending 48 hours sedentary. However, be careful not to strain your muscles too much in this case.
• Apply moist heat to sore spots: It may be helpful to warm up sore muscles with a warm moist towel or water bottle. Moist heat sources, especially those derived from water, are highly beneficial, according to a study published in Clinical Medical Research^[5].The same study suggests that the best time to use moist heat sources to warm up muscles is immediately after exercise.
• Take the right amount of protein and carbohydrates after intense training: It is useful to take protein and carbohydrates after training to repair your muscles and make them stronger. 20 to 40 grams of protein and 20 to 40 grams of carbs will help you recover more quickly, especially 30 minutes after a strenuous and prolonged activity. For example, you can consume a handful of strawberries, a tablespoon of honey and a bowl of yoghurt.
• Antioxidants and supplements can contribute to reducing pain: A study conducted in 2019 showed that consuming foods high in antioxidants and certain supplements over an extended period may help reduce the effects of exercise-induced muscle damage. Particularly cherry juice, watermelon, beet, pomegranate, ginger and ginseng are among these foods. In the case of DOMS, supplements such as creatine, BCAAs, protein, L-glutamine, and taurine can also help reduce pain.
• Eat healthy: Make sure your protein intake is consistent, especially. Thus, your tissues are nourished with a constant flow of amino acids. The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight each day if you’re active^[6]. Fruits, vegetables and legumes will support healing in your body, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Take care to consume fruits and vegetables, especially those containing Vitamin C and zinc^[7].

• Don’t ignore regular sleep: Sleep may not seem to have an immediate effect on muscle pain. It has been shown that eye movement, especially during NREM sleep increase protein synthesis, which is necessary to repair damaged muscles^[8]. Therefore, aim for at least seven hours of sleep after your workout.
• Massage muscles in pain: Massaging a sore muscle can help alleviate tension. It also increases your blood flow in the area and can accelerate healing by pushing accumulated fluid out of the body. Besides these, massage makes you feel good.
• Cold baths may be beneficial: Partial immersion of the body in water at a temperature of 10°C has been shown to be beneficial, according to a 2019 study^[9].

Remember that it is normal to experience pain after exercise although these relief suggestions may benefit you. It’s quite normal to experience DOMS, especially if you’ve just started exercising or stepping up your routines. DOMS may subside as you get used to exercise because it is caused by micro-tears in the muscles, which indicate your muscles are adjusting to physical activity. You can do light exercises without straining your body during DOMS. Gradual warming up before workouts, along with antioxidant-rich foods, supplements, massage, and cold water baths can help reduce muscle soreness.