How to Get Rid of Sore Muscles |
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Why Do Your Muscles Become Sore Anyway?
Whenever you engage in an unusual level of physical activity, whether lifting weights, going for a jog, or simply moving a heavy piece of furniture you create microscopic tears in your muscle tissue. Don’t worry; this is normal – when your body rebuilds the damaged muscle it grows back bigger and stronger than before. This is the same mechanism that athletes and bodybuilders use to become faster, bigger and stronger.
As a general rule, the more you exert yourself, the more microscopic tears you create, and the more soreness you feel later on as the muscles are being repaired by your body. The soreness itself is a result of both the damage to the muscles, and chemical waste products produced by the muscles during use (namely lactic acid).
Different Types of Muscle Soreness
If you’ve found yourself with sore muscles and have come here in search of relief – the first thing you should do is determine the cause of the soreness. Is it normal post-workout soreness or does it feel much worse than that?
Normal, Post-Workout Muscle Soreness
Many people who work out on a regular basis will describe this type of muscle pain as ‘good’ – many even enjoy it as a sign that they’ve pushed themselves hard enough to see a benefit from their exercise as the muscle fibers grow back stronger than before. Normal muscle soreness manifests itself as a dull but localized pain in the worked muscles that doesn’t limit range of motion but may be accompanied by tightness and temporary loss of strength. It can appear right after your workout, or several hours after your workout (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).
Treatment
You can reduce some of the discomfort by stretching the sore muscles often to keep them from tightening up along with participating in light cardiovascular training to get the blood and lymphatic systems moving (to assist flushing of remaining waste products like lactic acid). Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprophen can help relieve the pain, but it has been argued that they may also limit muscle gain.
Strained or Overexerted Muscle Soreness
This happens when you push too hard, too fast and is most common in people who are just beginning a workout program and overdo it on the first few trips to the gym. The symptoms are the same as in normal, post-workout soreness but with the addition of tenderness in the area of the strained muscle and painful tightness which may limit your range of motion.
Treatment
If the pain is severe, see your doctor. If it’s tolerable, try not to use the muscle and each day you should notice an increased range of non-painful motion. Stretching *may* help depending on the extent of the strain. If the soreness turns into pain as you stretch, stop and just give that muscle some time to heal. Anti inflammatory medication such as ibuprophen can lessen the immediate pain, but may also lessen your muscle gain.
Pulled or Torn Muscles
This usually happens because a muscle was not fully prepared for exertion or incapable of handling the demanded exertion and is exactly what the title implies. Depending on the amount of overexertion a muscle can be partially or completely torn. A small tear will result in a sharp pain in the effected muscle followed by a similar pain whenever the muscle is called into use. Severe strains cause swelling as blood pools around the injured muscle to protect it and provide some damage control. A larger, or complete tear will be extremely painful and may result in an inability to use the muscle at all – if you are sitting at your PC reading this then you likely don’t have one of these unless your pain threshold is abnormally high.
Treatment
If you suspect a severely strained or torn muscle, stop exercising, ice the area, and go and see your physician immediately. Continued use of the damaged muscle will only increase the damage and extend healing time. Do NOT apply heat as this will increase the blood flow and swelling, if the area does begin to swell, wrap it snugly with an ace bandage and keep it elevated until your doctor can examine it.
Preventing Sore Muscles
If you’re going to work out, you’re going to experience muscle soreness. You can however, reduce your chances of strains, pulls and tears. Here are some tips:
- Gently stretch each muscle group for at least 60 seconds before and after your workouts
- Begin and end every workout with an absurdly light load. If you’re about to run, start with 10 minutes of fast walking. If you’re about to lift weights, do a couple of speed sets using only the bar and going through the entire range of motion
- Hydrate! Lots of water or an electrolyte containing sports drink
- If weight training, stretch the target muscles between sets
- Finish every workout (even weight training) with 10-15 minutes of light cardio. This gets the blood and lymphatic system flowing and will help eliminate waste products built up from the workout
- Get a massage
- Ice the worked muscle group immediately after especially hard workouts
Please add your own tips to this page using the form at the bottom.
Offsite Resources
- Lactic Acid and Muscle Growth
- University of Vermont: Research Shows Cherry Juice May Prevent Muscle Damage Pain
- Runner’s World Forums
- Bodybuilding.com’s Forums
Message to Dude:
I was in a similar unfit condition but it was in running..To answer your question I’d suggest you rest for a few days..I tried what you did and thought that if I exercised the sore muscles that the muscles would eventually get better( old fitness )..To be honest I made myself a lot worse…A lot lot worse..In a routine blood test during my first few weeks back training my CK - creatine kinase - which measure muscle trauma went from a normal 180/190 to over 3200..All ‘cos I kept trying to loosen up by traing…Easy does it dude…Rest..Ice..Compression..Elevation..= RICE
Take a cold shower.
During the shower your muscles will contract but after they will expand and it will feel really good. That is what got me through football camp.
I find stretching to be both enjoyable in that “oh good pain” sort of way, and it releives some of the pain. That said, however, I’ve read many many articles on bodybuilding and powerlifting that stretching BEFORE you work out actually decreases your potential for gain.
Should still stretch afterwards, or end up like my brother and I… not able to touch our elbows in front of us without help.
I just started skateboarding again after about 5 years of not skating, and the first day I went on an intense training session practicing the old moves I mastered a long time ago, and after about 30 minutes I was in a heap of sweat than the next day my leg felt like it weighed 100 pounds!
That day I didn’t really think much of it cause I really wanted to get up and running again and skate, but I could barely lift my leg into the air, but I went skating anyway cause I was still able to flick my flickit leg/foot.
I guess now is the 3rd day and I’ve been working through it, its getting less and less tense but I really don’t want to rest cause I just wanna skate, I feel I’m rehabilitating myself inch by inch working through it do you guys think thats a good idea? I really don’t want rest for 1 week and start from scratch again.
I just started working out, 2 days ago, and the first say, my muscles were sore, and i went on and did more work out on the second day with the sire muscles. Now they are very tight and my arms cannot fully stretch. Am planing on giving it 4 days of rest before the next workout. Any one help with tips?
I’m 39 and have worked out with weights on and off since I was a teenager. Everytime I’m “off” for an extended period of time, I get pretty sore when I come back “on” (as expected). I have found that eating a lot of lean protein such as tuna has helped reduce healing time. Be careful not to increase your total calories though if you are working out to lose body fat. I also own a Panasonic Pro Elite massage chair that helps tremendously. Purchasing this rather expensive chair may not be an option for some, but if you have a Brookstone store near you, go and “try out” the chair regularly (at least 3 times a week). Hope this helps.
stretch the specific area after each workout.
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I find it soothing to bath in a warm bath with some bath salts after a strenuous workout or activity. Especially those that last the whole day.
Here’s where I usually get them, they’re quite cheap when you bought them by the bundles.
I have had a serious Volleyball pratice this week and my entire body is so sore what do I need to do?
I get really sore around my back and my legs from being a dancer.
And to be honest hot water, ice, stretch, and bannans will help.
I eat a couple and somehow it helps.
and of course tylenol and all that is great but icyhot works as well.