The good news is that normal soreness after a workout is not a cause for concern. And it should go away on its own after a few days. But pain or discomfort that lasts may mean you have an injury.
A little soreness or discomfort means that the muscle has been stressed, but if the muscle is exercised too much, the muscle can become very sore to move and touch and may even swell. In severe cases, the muscle may be damaged to the point that the muscle starts to develop permanent damage.
Get immediate medical care if you have muscle pain with:
Trouble breathing or dizziness. Extreme muscle weakness. A high fever and stiff neck.
Soreness is considered normal if it occurs between 24-72 hours after a workout, and if it does not prevent you from completing normal daily activities. If it lasts longer than this, or is so intense that it prevents you from functioning normally, it could be a sign of significant damage.
The most common cause of muscle soreness is called delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. While using your muscles during a workout, they become slightly damaged. The harder the workout, the more muscle damage. But don't worry — this damage, typically, isn't a bad thing.
In The Box magazine, professor of sports medicine Bob LeFavi writes that soreness really has no impact on whether or not your muscles are fully recovered from a workout. It is possible to not be sore and still not be fully recovered, which is why it is important to give yourself enough time to recover.
Soreness or pain
Muscles are tender to touch, tired, or you have a burning feeling while exercising. Your muscles may feel a dull ache, tight, and achy feeling when you try to use them. This may also be present at rest but is more common when you try to use them.
A lot of very advanced athletes and bodybuilders are almost never sore from training. Their body is so used to handling training that they very rarely traumatize their muscles enough to cause the stress response that will lead to debilitating soreness.
What causes DOMS? High-intensity exercise can cause tiny, microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. Your body responds to this damage by increasing inflammation, which may lead to a delayed onset of soreness in the muscles.
“A little muscle fatigue and soreness after workouts is completely normal, especially if you're trying different types of workouts and consistently progressing,” says Certified Personal Trainer Mike Martin.
Types of infections that cause muscle aches include: Colds and flu. Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (infections spread through tick bites). Malaria.
Muscle damage is vital to muscle growth. Muscle soreness is a reliable indicator of muscle damage. Hence, muscle soreness is associated with muscle growth.
Although most muscle aches and pains go away on their own within a short time, sometimes muscle pain can linger for months. Muscle pain can develop almost anywhere in your body, including your neck, back, legs and even your hands. The most common causes of muscle pain are tension, stress, overuse and minor injuries.
The NHS suggests that DOMS will typically last between 3 and 5 days, yet you're likely to feel your muscles loosen up after the first couple of days.
Sore muscles after exercise
It can affect people of all fitness levels, particularly after trying a new activity or pushing yourself a bit harder than usual. Usually your muscles will stop aching in 2 to 5 days and you won't need any medical attention.
If the pain of DOMS doesn't lessen or go away after a few days it could also be a sign of something more serious. DOMS could have been masking the pain of an injury so if you're struggling it might be worth booking an appointment with the physio.
So, light exercise may be a good idea. But pace yourself: Some studies have shown that the strength of muscles affected by DOMS can languish at just 80 percent of normal capacity for up to two weeks.
Paracetamol had not been used to alleviate DOMS either, although it has been shown to be effective against laser-induced pain, mechanical pain and post-operative dental pain.
Severe Soreness Could Be Rhabdomyolysis
If you're sore to the point of hardly being able to walk, there's a chance you might have a potentially life-threatening condition known as rhabdomyolysis, in which muscle protein breaks down and leaks into your blood.
If you don't give them adequate time to heal, then the tears grow and your muscles feel inflamed, swollen and exhausted. Not allowing yourself adequate recovery time can lead to decreased performance and even overtraining syndrome.
You burn calories with sore muscles
Sore muscles do burn calories, however it may or may not come from the fat on your body. Also, please note that sore muscles do not burn calories any more than muscles that are not sore. Lean tissue (i.e. muscles) is the primary driver of our metabolic rate.
One way to get rid of Lactic acid is by drinking lots of water. When you drink water, it helps to dilute the lactic acid and flush it out of the body. Water supplies the much-needed oxygen and hydrogen ions to the blood.
If you continue your usual exercise regimen even when you're sore, you're not giving your muscles enough time to heal. In fact, pushing yourself during a bout of soreness can eventually lead to an overuse injury. Overall, you're at risk of causing harm to your body by not resting.