Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

So you have finally decided to get back in shape and lose those 10 pounds you gained during the last year. You hit the gym with a vengeance forgetting that a few years have passed since you were in top condition and now you wake up and you can’t move without pain. It’s in your hips and knees and muscles. Just getting out of bed hurts. You walk like a robot, and forget about bending over. What in the world is going on and more importantly - what do you do about it?

The condition is called DOMS which stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. It is extremely common and generally goes away in a few days. Some feel it is caused by micro injury to the muscles and connective tissue due to over-stressing when a new and strenuous exercise is attempted. This leads to inflammation and the two major symptoms, pain and stiffness.

So the big question is this: Do you stop exercising or press on? Well you definitely don’t want to stop exercising but you do want to lessen the intensity a bit until the symptoms subside. Try lowering the weights if you are weight training, or instead of running try fast walking. If you are performing an eccentric exercise like lunges which are particularly prone to this condition, try doing it part way. You might also want to add a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) such as Motrin or Advil to help lessen the inflammation. As the symptoms subside over the next few days you can increase the intensity until you are back in action. If the pain is not subsiding however you may be dealing with a true injury in which case you will have to back off exercising the injured area until it heals and speak with your medical provider for guidance. Even an injury should not keep you from exercising completely. In most cases you can simply work around the injured area and keep going. Remember the axiom: “Use it or lose it”.