When I return to my yoga class after missing a few weeks, my muscles make me pay for the lapse—because in the following days I ache all over. And as I get older, such exercise-induced soreness seems to last longer than it used to.
“Yes, that’s a sad truth about aging—that the muscles’ ability to recover often slows,” said Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, chief science officer at the American Council on Exercise. “But don’t let that stop you from exercising, because there are ways to minimize the severity and duration of the discomfort.”
Soreness explained: The gradually increasing discomfort that develops 24 to 48 hours after a taxing workout is called delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). It is thought to result from microscopic tears in the muscle fibers and connective tissues. DOMS causes tenderness and stiffness rather than the burning sensation experienced during and immediately following strenuous exercise.
One theory is that DOMS most often develops when you increase the intensity of your regular workout or engage in an activity that you haven’t done in a while. “Even if you’re very fit, you can get sore if you use muscles in a way they’re not accustomed to, such as when you garden for hours or play tennis for the first time this season,” Dr. Bryant said.
Good news: After you experience a few bouts of soreness in response to an increase in intensity or a new activity, your muscles adapt to that exercise. So you won’t get sore anymore (at least until you up the ante again), provided you continue to do that activity at least a few times a week.
LIMITING SORENESS
Excessive soreness is uncomfortable and discourages further exercise—so it’s best to limit the degree of soreness that develops and to ease discomfort as much as possible.
To minimize the development of DOMS…
- Begin every workout or sports session with a brief warm-up of five to 10 minutes of calisthenic-type exercises—jumping jacks, arm circles, squat thrusts, leg swings.
- When doing a type of exercise that you are not used to, take it easy for the first few sessions. For instance, if you haven’t lifted weights in months, even if you think you can handle 10-pound dumbbells, start with eight-pounders instead.
- Studies suggest that the type of contraction that occurs when a muscle is lengthening (rather than shortening) is more likely to lead to soreness. In a bicep curl, the lengthening motion occurs when the weight is being lowered…when walking or running, it occurs when you’re going downhill. Therefore: To minimize DOMS, do not lower weights with exaggerated slowness…avoid steep downhills.
To relieve aches…
- Don’t just lie around when you’re sore—instead, walk or do some gentle stretches. Active recovery is better than total rest because it promotes circulation, bringing healing oxygen and nutrients to sore muscles.
- Apply ice packs to sore areas for 20 minutes at least once daily for the first day or two after your workout. Or give yourself ice massages by rubbing a piece of ice in quick, small circles over the sore muscles for five minutes. To protect skin, do not allow ice to remain stationary for long on any one spot—keep it moving. Note: There is no evidence that soaking in a tub with Epsom salts or applying a heat pack helps relieve DOMS, Dr. Bryant said.
- If necessary, take an over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen (Advil), for a day or two, following the dosage instructions on the label. But go easy on the medication—NSAIDs block the production of prostaglandin, a hormone-like substance that stimulates muscle repair during recovery.
- Gently massage sore muscles—but do not get a deep-tissue massage, as this could aggravate the problem. Rubbing sore areas with ointments or balms may help, so try them if you like. They work by irritating the skin, which produces sensations of warmth or cold and temporarily masks the pain of the sore muscles.
Important: DOMS should go away on its own within three or four days of an intense workout. Soreness that persists or pain that feels sudden or sharp warrants a call to the doctor.
