The muscle pain you experience when you start exercising is real. It comes from getting the muscles to do something they aren’t familiar with.
This article will describe the different types of pain you may experience secondary to exercising, but most importantly, it will share some vital tips that can help you avoid or deal with this issue.
Categories of muscle pain
The pain you get because of exercise can be categorized into;
- Early-onset soreness
- Delayed onset muscle soreness(DOMS) and
- Muscle cramps.
Here, we shall describe the first two types.
Early-onset is what you feel immediately following exercise but delayed onset muscle soreness peaks at 24-48hrs following exercising. The causes of the pain are also different.
Causes of the different types of muscle pain
Early onset soreness
This is also termed acute muscle soreness. It will normally last from during physical activity to 24 hours after strenuous exercise.
These are the main factors that contribute to early-onset soreness;
- Lactic acid accumulation in the muscles. Lactic acid is a by-product of muscle metabolism.
- Other causes include, ions, proteins, and hormones alterations that occur as you exercise.
Delayed onset muscle soreness
DOMS is said to last much longer than its acute counterpart. The pain will persist from 12hours and even to over 3days following the exercise.
When dealing with DOMS, you may experience;
- Prolonged loss of strength.
- Reduced range of motion.
- Elevated levels of creatine kinase in the blood.
These are taken as indirect indicators of muscle damage, and biopsy analysis has documented damage to the contractile elements in the muscles.
Tips on dealing with the muscle pain
Well, don’t lose heart, this pain is very temporary.
- The key is to go slow and be easy on yourself as you start exercising or when you get sore.
- Don’t completely stop activity unless you are extremely sore.
- Stretch before starting an exercise. Stretching helps lengthen your muscles and tendons prepping them for the work.
- Ice is your friend; massage some ice over the sore area. This may help.
- Adopt the proper form when exercising.
The right form is superior in all exercises. Poor posture will lead to injury.
The muscle pain you feel should originate from the area you are “working on”. However, if you are running but feeling sharp pain elsewhere; like in your back then you are either having a poor posture, using the wrong technique, or need to see a doctor ASAP.
6. Respect your Rest days.
Learn to include days off during your routine to give your body time to recover. You could do this by alternating every two days with a rest day.
7. In cases of unbearable pain, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain killers either taken orally or in the form of ointments/sprays or gels can be used.
However, if the pain is unbearable, you may need to see a doctor. Sometimes, a single shot of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be a great help.
Very important; Don’t forget to use the right technique while exercising.
In conclusion, muscle pain is part and parcel of any new workout routine especially if you are just starting out. This pain can be either early-onset or delayed onset.
Tips like going easy with the exercise, taking rest days, keeping the right form, and using pain relievers to alleviate the pain are all helpful but if all fails, you must see a doctor.
