Muscle Soreness or Pain?

How do I know if you have good vs bad muscle soreness?

Muscle Soreness Following Exercise

Muscle soreness feels like a dull aching pain with tenderness and sensitivity in the affected area. The pain is felt when the muscle is being stretched or put under pressure, not at rest. Muscles normally get sore when you start an exercise program or increase your intensity. Soreness may not set in for 2 days after the activity so do not overdo it during the 1st 2 weeks.

This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and also called muscle fever. There is a variance among individuals in how they experience pain usually the soreness increases in the first 24-72 hours followed by exercise then decreases and disappears 4-7days after exercise.

In the beginning, if a particular muscle group is sore for more than 4 days you may have overdone it and need rest and maybe see a doctor.

If you are so sore you can barely move then you need to lower your level of intensity. It is suggested you do not do any vigorous activity until all soreness has subsided.

The optimal is if you are just sore enough so you are reminded what muscle group you trained last. Once you are in a set routine you should only be sore when you do something new or really up the intensity.

You can decrease the pain by increasing the blood flow in the sore muscles with massage, steam room, hot bath, sauna, or low-intensity exercise.

Muscle cramps (charley horse) differ from muscle soreness in nature. Really unpleasant and painful sharp sensations caused by muscle contraction.

Common (sport and activity-related) causes of muscle cramps are:

– Overused tired muscles, muscle fatigue due to hard exercise

– Dehydration, Insufficient level of certain minerals in the muscle cells (magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium)

The complete recovery of the muscles may take from 2 to 7 days

 Some other Causes of Cramps May Be:

·     Pregnancy

·     Hypothyroidism

·     Depleted magnesium or calcium stores or other metabolic abnormalities

·     Alcohol consumption

·     Kidney failure leading to uremia

·     Medications

.     Varicose veins

.     Multiple sclerosis

Although cramps may be benign, it is important to note that they may also be red flags of serious neurological, endocrine, or metabolic disorders. Cramping should always be evaluated by a professional.

Treatment

If you experience muscle cramps followed by or during any sports activity the best you can do is rest and start the rehydration with sports drinks that have minerals in them. Gentle massage of the affected area can be also helpful.

Don’t try to extend the cramping muscle group by contracting the opposing muscles because it can seriously injure or even tear the muscle tissue!