4 Ways to Ease Sore Muscles

Written by Isaac Auyeung, PT, DPT, CSCS

You may be familiar with the term "DOMS", or delayed onset muscle soreness. DOMS is the muscle pain you probably have experienced after working out. It usually starts 8-10 hours after the workout and peaks at 48-72 hours.^1,2 Sometimes DOMS may last even longer depending on how out of shape you are or how much tissue stress has occurred because of the workout.

So what exactly is DOMS? 

DOMS is a type of microscopic muscle injury that is usually caused by eccentric (lengthening of muscle while contracted) or unfamiliar forms of exercise. You might experience painful restriction of movement and less strength in the muscles that were exercised. Despite the discomfort experienced, eccentric exercises are still considered one of the best ways to improve strength.²

Though DOMS is not directly correlated with strength gains, it is an indicator that a strong enough stimulus was put on the muscle to cause adaptation.³ DOMS can be used as a guide for you to know that the intensity was high enough to result in strengthening. That said, hypertrophy, or muscle growth, can still take place without experiencing any soreness. 

 As we begin to slowly head back onto fields and into the gyms, here are some things you can do to decrease soreness following "new" or "unfamiliar forms of exercise":

Tips to get rid of the DOMS

1) Active Recovery - Getting on a stationary bike or arm bike for about 15 minutes of low intensity training may have a recovery enhancing effect. Foam rolling has been also shown to be effective in pain reduction.⁴ 

2) Sleep - Sleep deprivation has been shown to lower physical and mental performance.  Getting enough sleep (quantity AND quality) will not only help with recovery, but also performance and reducing risk of injury.⁴ 

3) Hydration - One study showed that DOMS was made worse in participants that were dehydrated. Make sure to be regularly taking in water, especially when exercising in hot, humid environments.⁵

4) Massage/Vibration Therapy - You may have seen ads for the Theragun or HyperVolt, or other similar percussive/vibration devices. You may even own one already. There is some research that suggests that both massage and vibration therapy are equally effective in prevention of and recovery from DOMS.^6,7

Here are also some things that have been shown to not be effective for recovery from DOMS: ice, stretching, ultrasound, and electric stimulation.⁴

Instead, try some of the tips listed above that are backed by research!

We hope that these tips can help you return to your active lifestyle with minimal DOMS! Please reach out to Evergreen Physical Therapy if you have any questions or want guidance on safely returning to exercising. 

Stay healthy. Stay well. Stay active. 

Isaac is recognized as an EXOS Performance Specialist and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Immediately after earning his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Mount Saint Mary's University, he completed a year-long orthopedic residency program through Kaiser Permanente. He is currently furthering his expertise as a movement specialist through Azusa Pacific University's Movement and Performance Fellowship. Isaac is passionate about using his knowledge to help his community. He has volunteered on the medical team with AVP pro beach volleyball, the Lei-Out ultimate frisbee tournament, South Bay Dozen ocean racing event, and an international hip hop dance competition. 

 Schedule an appointment to begin your strength training for flexibility today! 

References

1. Cheung, K., Hume, P. and Maxwell, L., 2003. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Sports Medicine, 33(2), pp.145-164.

2. Hotfiel, T., Freiwald, J., Hoppe, M., Lutter, C., Forst, R., Grim, C., Bloch, W., Hüttel, M. and Heiss, R., 2018. Advances in Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Part I: Pathogenesis and Diagnostics. Sportverletzung · Sportschaden, 32(04), pp.243-250.

3. Flann, K., LaStayo, P., McClain, D., Hazel, M. and Lindstedt, S., 2011. Muscle damage and muscle remodeling: no pain, no gain?. Journal of Experimental Biology, 214(4), pp.674-679.

4. Hotfiel, T., Mayer, I., Huettel, M., Hoppe, M., Engelhardt, M., Lutter, C., Pöttgen, K., Heiss, R., Kastner, T. and Grim, C., 2019. Accelerating Recovery from Exercise-Induced Muscle Injuries in Triathletes: Considerations for Olympic Distance Races. Sports, 7(6), p.143.

5. Cleary, M., Sweeney, L., Kendrick, Z. and Sitler, M., 2005. Dehydration and Symptoms of Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness in Hyperthermic Males. Journal of Athletic Training, 40(4), pp.288-297.

6. Imtiyaz, S., Veqar, Z. and Shareef, M., 2014. To Compare the Effect of Vibration Therapy and Massage in Prevention of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH,.

7.  Veqar, Z., 2014. Vibration Therapy in Management of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH,.