What it means and relief

Any physical activity that places too much or unusual strain on the muscles can lead to soreness. Everyone can experience muscle soreness, even people who exercise regularly and have good physical fitness.

Muscle soreness can be uncomfortable and disruptive. However, the pain typically disappears within a few days.

This article outlines the causes of muscle soreness and the typical duration of symptoms. We also list the treatments that may help to relieve muscle soreness, along with research into their effectiveness.

Share on PinterestA person may experience muscle soreness if they do higher intensity workouts.

During physical activity, the body’s muscles extend and contract to support movement. Prolonged or repetitive physical activity can overexert the muscles. This activity can lead to muscle soreness.

Overexertion and muscle soreness are more likely to occur after physical activity that differs from normal. This could be due to:

• exercising more often than usual
• doing higher intensity workouts
• performing longer workouts
• introducing new exercises to a routine

Muscle soreness usually occurs several hours after physical activity. For this reason, doctors refer to the condition as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Most people experience DOMS at some point, regardless of their physical fitness.

The exact cause of DOMS is still unclear. Some experts believe it may be due to microscopic tears in the muscle fibers, which can develop during exercise. They believe that muscle soreness is the result of the body healing these tears. DOMS is not due to a buildup of lactic acid in the muscles.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), muscle soreness usually begins 12–24 hours following exercise. The muscle soreness then tends to peak around 24–72 hours after the exercise. After this time, the pain should start to go away.

The level of soreness a person feels during DOMS depends on the type, duration, and frequency of the activity that caused the pain.

It is possible to continue exercising with muscle soreness, but it can be uncomfortable.

Sharp pains that occur immediately after activity could be a sign of injuries, such as strains or sprains. These injuries are the result of a muscle, tendon, or ligament becoming stretched or torn and are more severe than DOMS, possibly requiring medical attention.

Muscle soreness is normal and rarely requires medical attention. In most cases, symptoms go away on their own within a few days. In the meantime, it is best to avoid putting too much strain on the injured muscles.

People sometimes recommend the following treatments to alleviate muscle soreness following exercise:

Massage: A qualified sports massage therapist or physiotherapist can provide massages for alleviating muscle soreness. Massages increase blood flow to the injured area, which may promote healing and help to relieve the pain.

Heat therapy: Taking a warm bath or applying heat pads can also stimulate blood flow to the injured muscles. Heat therapy tends to offer only temporary symptom relief.

Cold therapy: Cold packs or immersion in cold water can reduce inflammation and swelling in the muscles. Cold therapy is, therefore, useful as a longer-term treatment for muscle injuries.

Light exercise: Keeping the muscles active may help to reduce pain. It is important to keep the intensity light and avoid movements that put too much strain on injured muscles. Examples of light exercises include walking and gentle stretching.

Pain medication: Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help to reduce muscle inflammation and associated pain.

A 2012 meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of four popular DOMS treatments. The meta-analysis included 35 studies, each of which investigated one of the following treatments:

• massage
• cold therapy, or “cryotherapy“
• stretching
• light exercise

The meta-analysis revealed that massage was effective in treating the signs and symptoms of DOMS in some people. However, the effect was small and was not significant across the group as a whole. There was no evidence to support the use of cryotherapy, stretching, or light exercise in treating DOMS.

A 2011 meta-analysis also found that stretching before or after exercise does not lead to a noticeable reduction in DOMS.

A 2016 meta-analysis investigated whether a type of cryotherapy called cold water immersion (CWI) helps to alleviate muscle soreness. The results showed that CWI was slightly more effective than no treatment. Bathing in water temperatures between 11°C–15°C for 11–15 minutes provided the best results.

Overall, these studies indicate that there are few scientifically proven treatments for DOMS. Those that are effective appear to provide only a slight benefit. Nonetheless, some people may find the treatments helpful.

Importantly, while a treatment may help to alleviate pain, it will not undo the underlying muscle damage or improve muscle function.

While it is not possible to completely prevent DOMS, a person can take steps to reduce the severity of symptoms.

According to the ACSM, the best way to do this is to build up slowly to any changes in exercise routines. This cautious approach will give the muscles time to adapt to the changes they are experiencing.

Physical activity can sometimes lead to DOMS. The symptoms of DOMS usually appear several hours after physical activity and may last up to 72 hours.

While DOMS can be uncomfortable, it does not require medical attention. People sometimes recommend home remedies to alleviate the symptoms, but there is little scientific evidence to support this. It may be necessary to try multiple treatments before finding one that helps in some way.

People may experience a sharp pain during or immediately after physical activity. This sensation could signal a more serious injury, such as a strain or sprain. People should see a doctor if the pain persists or worsens.

The 8 Best Ways to Relieve Sore Muscles

• Pain Management

12/18/2018

There are few things more satisfying than completing a challenging workout. Endorphin-rich, you feel on top of the world right after working out, but the day after? That’s not always the case thanks to muscle soreness.

While sore muscles aren’t dangerous, they can put a serious damper on your day, making even the simplest of tasks more difficult.

Whether your muscles are sore from your vigorous fitness routine or from another reason, there are lots of ways you can relieve some of the pain you’re feeling.

Why Do Muscles Get Sore?

We’re all familiar with sore muscles, but what exactly is happening inside of our bodies to cause muscle soreness? Put simply, muscle soreness is caused by microscopic tears within the muscle tissue. These tears occur during intense exercise activity.

Fitness-related muscle soreness is extremely common – so much so that it’s earned itself an official name – delayed-onset muscle soreness, also known as DOMS.

DOMS typically sets in a day or two following an intense workout and is a bittersweet reminder that you worked hard.

Interestingly, muscle soreness serves a biological purpose too. It’s essentially your body responding with pain so you don’t overdo it while your body is attempting to heal itself.

The 8 Best Ways to Relieve Sore Muscles

Some muscle soreness is inevitable, but there are ways you can relieve muscle soreness and help prevent it.

1. Stretching

Stretching before and after your workout is one of the easiest ways you can prevent sore muscles or help ease sore muscles if you’ve got them.

Before your workout, try an extended warm-up and stretch routine. Take your time performing gentle dynamic stretches (these involve movement) before you move on to your workout routine. Dynamic stretches include things like swinging your arms and legs or doing gentle walking lunges. We recommend doing these between five and 10 minutes.

Once you’ve completed your workout, take another five to 10 minutes and follow up with static stretches (these are the ones you hold).

2. Do your cardio first

If weightlifting is part of your workout routine, it’s a good idea to incorporate at least some cardio activity beforehand.

Heading straight for the weight rack essentially overloads your muscles while they’re not adequately prepared. This not only increases your risk of having to deal with severe DOMS, but you could pull a tendon, ligament, or muscle during your workout.

Doing at least some sort of cardio first helps warm up your muscles efficiently, even if it’s just 10 minutes of walking.

3. Make sure your form is correct

Having good form when working out is so important. Not only does working out with poor form make for a less effective workout, but it can lead to an increased chance of muscle soreness and serious injury.

If you’re not sure whether or not your form is correct, there are lots of tutorials available online. If you go to a public gym, don’t be afraid to ask someone for help.

4. Brave the cold with an ice bath

If you’re experiencing muscle soreness, an ice bath can decrease irritation by about 20 percent. Ice baths provide temporary pain relief by reducing inflammation. Read our blog to learn how to properly take an ice bath at home.

5. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

When it comes to relieving sore muscles or preventing them in the first place, water is your best friend.

Hydration prevents cramping and decreases inflammation which keeps muscle soreness at bay. Be sure to drink enough water during the day and during your workout – especially if you sweat a lot.

6. Wear compression gear

Compression gear can help stave off muscle soreness by improving circulation and blood flow. Compression sleeves for example can reduce the amount of impact on your muscles, leading to less soreness once your workout is done.

7. Use a foam roller

Foam rolling can help decrease muscle soreness following a workout, as well as loosen up tight muscles. These simple pieces of equipment also give you a better range of motion than stretching alone can.

8. Get a sports massage

Massages aren’t just a relaxing treat, they can actually provide serious pre and post-workout benefits. A sports massage will help loosen tight muscles and reduce soreness, allowing for faster recovery times.

Request an Appointment at The Orthopedic Clinic Today

At The Orthopedic Clinic, we want you to live your life in full motion. If you’re an athlete, you need a medical team that thoroughly understands sports medicine. If you’ve been feeling pain and discomfort beyond usual soreness, let us help you get back to doing the things you love.

Call us at (386) 255-4596 to schedule an appointment.

Pain in the muscles of the neck and collar area

Osteochondrosis

Headaches

Vertigo

Herniated disc

Displacement of the vertebrae

Hernia

Osteoporosis

Arthrosis

Contents

Neck pain is a common syndrome that affects about 80% of the adult population, and with age it is experienced by an increasing number of people, especially among women. The pain is caused by the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle, working at a computer with the wrong position of the neck, diseases of the spine. Let’s take a closer look at these reasons.

Causes of neck pain

Among all the factors, there are those that are associated with the spine and those that are not associated with it.

Associated with the spine, or vertebrogenic:

• osteochondrosis,
• arthrosis,
• infectious lesions of the skeleton;
• autoimmune pathologies;
• metabolic disorders;
• neoplasms;
• injuries.

Unrelated to the spine (non-vertebrogenic):

• myofascial syndrome – strain, spasm of the neck muscles;
• psychogenic pain syndrome;
• reflected pain in diseases of the internal organs.

Osteochondrosis is one of the most common diseases in our time, and the disease is getting younger. Increasingly, young people over the age of 20 are being diagnosed. With osteochondrosis, the intervertebral discs become thinner, because of which the vertebrae begin to rub against each other, injure and scratch. At the beginning of the development of the disease, its symptoms are invisible, and only a small part of patients go to the doctor. Complaints arise already at that level of development, when a hernia or displacement of the vertebrae is possible. Among the risk factors for osteochondrosis are a sedentary lifestyle, frequent stress and overstrain, hereditary predisposition.

Complications

It is very important to treat and prevent diseases of the cervical spine in time, because vital vessels and nerves pass through the muscles of the neck. The state of the deep muscles of the neck is directly related to hemodynamics, and hence the activity of the brain and spinal cord.

Of the possible complications of cervical osteochondrosis, migraine and visual impairment are often observed. The vertebral and carotid arteries pass through the neck, which are responsible for supplying blood and oxygen to the brain and organs of vision. Some patients also experience hearing impairment, an increase or decrease in blood pressure, neuroses and insomnia.

Diagnostics

After detecting complaints, the doctor collects an anamnesis of the disease, examines the patient, checks the mobility of the cervical spine, the condition of the ligaments and muscles.

X-rays, functional radiography, CT and MRI are used to diagnose if serious diseases are suspected. Thanks to these studies, it is possible to establish the presence or absence of tumors, osteoporosis, injuries, spondylitis, displacement of the vertebrae, as well as assess the condition of tissues, ligaments, and the spinal cord.

Neck and neck pain treatment

The treatment of pain in the neck is carried out by a kinesitherapist (exercise therapy). You should consult a doctor if you experience any pain in the neck that bothers you. Pain syndrome in the collar zone tends to be chronic with periodic exacerbations, and a timely visit to the doctor will allow you to start treatment on time and prevent the development of complications.

Often, for diseases of the neck, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gels and tablets are prescribed. However, they only relieve the symptoms, without providing a full treatment and getting rid of the cause.

According to the method of Bubnovsky, the main methods of treating pain in the cervical-collar zone are the removal of spasm of the deep muscles of the cervical spine and the restoration of hemodynamics. Kinesitherapy eliminates the cause of pain, and not only relieves symptoms. It works by restoring the work of the deep muscles of the neck and improving blood circulation – it stops the progression of the disease and helps prevent exacerbations.

In addition to the main treatment, auxiliary healing procedures are recommended: contrast procedures (balneotherapy) and therapeutic massage.

Bubnovsky pain relief exercises

Dr. Sergei Mikhailovich Bubnovsky is the author of a technique for treating diseases of the musculoskeletal system without drugs and operations, but with the help of the use of decompression power simulators (MTB), exercises on which are safe and simple, but require regular performance to obtain a lasting effect. Each exercise is selected strictly individually, taking into account age, physical condition and the presence of concomitant diseases. With this pathology, it is very important to master the correct technique of diaphragmatic breathing, which is taught during classes by an instructor-methodologist. Proper breathing while riding MTB relieves neck pain, headache, dizziness and other manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis.

Exercises for cervical osteochondrosis according to Bubnovsky relieve spasms in the deep muscles of the cervical spine, which in turn restores blood circulation in the vessels of the brain. The treatment is based on the conscious work of the muscles. Perform the exercises slowly and carefully, without sudden movements and without chasing quantity and speed.

1. Stand against a wall, arms shoulder-width apart, elbows bent, chin up. Gently exhale through your mouth with the sound of HA-A, push yourself up from the wall, straightening your arms at the elbows. Try to keep your back and legs straight, do not tear your feet off the floor. Perform this exercise 15-20 times, over time, try to complicate the exercise by performing push-ups from the floor from the knees. The main push-up is accompanied by a soft exhalation.
2. Lie on your back, hands behind your head, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Perform a twisting of the body in the back, trying to tear the shoulder blades off the floor, while reaching with the elbows towards the knees and return to the starting position. Do this exercise 15-20 times. The main thing to do is to lift the shoulder blades while exhaling HA-A through the mouth.
3. For the following exercise, you will need a fitness or myofascial release massage roller. Will fit smooth, without pimples. In the supine position, bend your knees, put the roller under the shoulder blades. Slowly move up and down the roller, massaging the muscles from the cervical to the chest. Repeat 5-8 times.

Prevention of neck pain

Prevention of any diseases of the musculoskeletal system is directly related to a healthy lifestyle. First of all, it is necessary to maintain a healthy immune system: eat a varied diet without abusing sweet, fatty, salty foods; avoid smoking and alcohol; move, play sports, walk, be in the fresh air every day; control weight; avoid stress and overexertion.

Most people now work while sitting. During sedentary work, it is important to adhere to the following rules:

• choose a chair with neck and back support, do not sit on a stool,
• take breaks every 3 hours for simple gymnastics, such as the Bubnovsky Health Triad (one exercise for each floor of the body, which will take no more than 15 minutes)
• get an orthopedic mattress and pillow,
• if possible, walk to work and home or find an opportunity to walk 1.5-2 hours in the fresh air a couple of times a week
• practice the health of your muscles 3 times a week using modern kiositherapy
• 2-3 times a year take a course of therapeutic massage
• watch your posture, do not stoop, do not stretch your neck forward.

Make up your diet based on the needs of the body: for the proper functioning of the bones, spine, neck, it is necessary to eat sources of natural collagen – seafood, jelly. Eat more vegetables, protein, vitamins and minerals. Passive lifestyle and bad habits slow down blood circulation throughout the body, and especially in the intervertebral discs – so give them up. And do not forget about the water-drinking regimen, when you need to drink at least 2 liters of water per day, not counting juices and soups.

In the centers of Dr. Bubnovsky, doctors are always ready to help you, diagnose, draw up an individual treatment and prevention plan and support you morally, giving you motivation for an active lifestyle and a positive attitude.

Health in motion!

Information verified by an expert

Bubnovskaya Lyudmila Sergeevna

Physiotherapist, specialist in modern kinesitherapy

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Simple tips on how to live without joint pain after 50

Joint pain, unfortunately, is familiar to most of us, especially if we are already over forty or even over fifty. We talked with rheumatologist Anna Kharkova about how to prevent their occurrence and what to do if they have already appeared.

All articles 03/29/2022

– Anna Nikolaevna, tell us what diseases a rheumatologist treats and how to recognize them?

– A rheumatologist deals with a wide range of diseases. First of all, these are diseases of the joints – osteoarthritis, osteoarthritis of any localization, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, including its acute attacks. In addition, these are diseases of the spine, including inflammatory ones, Bechterew’s disease and a certain range of rather rare systemic diseases – systemic vosculitis, lupus erythematosus and scleroderma.

According to what should alert the patient – first of all, this is pain of any localization in the joints, which is not associated with injury. These are pain sensations, a certain stiffness in the joints, when, for example, in the morning before doing something, you need to warm up, disperse.

It is also discomfort, crunching in the joints, their swelling, restriction of movement. With certain diseases, pain in the muscles, inflammation in them can occur. Sometimes therapists or other specialists can refer the patient to a rheumatologist to rule out these rare systemic diseases, when, for example, the temperature persists for a long time, there are inflammatory changes in the blood.

– The most common disease among those that you listed is osteoarthritis. The risk of running into him is quite high. Tell about it.

– Indeed, this is the most common disease. Most often it affects people over 40-50 years old. This disease can also occur at an earlier age, most often it is associated with injuries or excessive impact on the joint, with constant stress. The disease manifests itself as:

• Various pains in the joints.

• Crack in the joints.

• Movement restrictions.

• Unpleasant sensations when exerting, walking, descending or climbing stairs.

• Pain at the beginning of the movement – starting pains, when at the beginning of the movement the pains arise, and when the person disperses, the pains disappear.

Pain can occur in the knee or ankle joints, elbows, hip joints. There are also joints in the spine, and pain caused by osteoarthritis can also occur in the spine, but in general, knee joints, hip joints, the most extreme joints of the hands – the first finger on the foot and on the hands are characteristic of osteoarthritis.

– What factors contribute to the development of this disease and what are the preventive measures?

– First of all, constant loads on the joints can contribute. – monotonous work associated with overloading one joint. It is also a constant trauma, this often happens with athletes. In addition, there are diseases when the biomechanics of the joints are disturbed, for example, flat feet or scoliosis or other changes that come from childhood that change the mechanics of the joint. In addition, it can be local inflammation, after which osteoarthritis can form. It is also an increased body weight, obesity, which creates an increased load on the joints. And, of course, this is a sedentary lifestyle, as a result of which the muscular frame of the joints weakens, and they lose the ability to withstand the necessary load.

As for prevention, first of all it is a healthy lifestyle, that is, maintaining a normal body weight, regular moderate physical activity without overloading the joints. It is also the prevention of injury. If the work is connected with the load of any one joint, then it is necessary to normalize the mode of work so that there are regular breaks with the ability to unload the joint and restore its normal operation.