Understanding and Handling Muscle Soreness

As a former multi-sport competitive athlete who currently has taken on the challenge of triathlon, I have experienced my share of sore muscles. On some days, the discomfort was mild, almost what people in athletics would call a "good sore"; however, on other days, when training was especially hard, the pain was long-lasting and difficult. Back then, I used the old philosophies of "no pain, no gain" and "suck it up and be tough". My greatest source of medicine: ice. And that was only on the rarest of occasions.

Now that I have transitioned from athlete to a varsity coach in both high school soccer and baseball, I have had to expand my knowledge, for it isn't just about me anymore. Now I need to understand muscle fatigue and soreness, and I must be capable of helping my players overcome it. If not, not only do I lose valuable athletes on the field, but also, and more importantly, I allow a young man I care about to experience avoidable, or at least manageable, pain.

First, you need to understand why muscle soreness occurs. Normally happening anywhere from 12 to 24 hours after the activity, delayed soreness results from tiny muscle fiber tearing and some subsequent swelling. The amount of pain is directly proportional to the length and severity of your workout, and is related concretely to the newness of the training. A brand new movement done with heavy repetition or excessive speed will, in all likelihood, result in pain. Left alone, the pain, unless you have truly injured yourself, should go away within three to seven days. If it persists beyond that or is strikingly painful, see an athletic trainer or doctor immediately.

Second, once you know why it happens so that you can manage your training to minimize it and keep you on the field and productive, you have to know how to treat it once it does arrive. The basic remedy is ice, and for good reason. The ice numbs the pain a bit and helps to decrease the swelling. In the end, the ice lets the muscle recover faster.

Ice, however, is not the only way to help you eliminate the soreness. Consider the following techniques.

1. Active recovery: Doing some low-impact aerobic activities will increase blood flow and reduce soreness. Many hardcore triathletes, after a race, will spend some time riding lightly on their bikes, or runners after a hard workout will cool down by jogging a few miles.

2. Stretching: Whether static or dynamic, stretching pays attention to the muscles used. While no legitimate research exists to corroborate the fact that stretching helps cut muscle soreness, most competitive athletes spend time after training stretching. It simply makes the muscles feel better.

3. Anti-inflammatory medicine: Although they will never enhance the healing process, over the counter pills such as ibuprofen can reduce the swelling.

4. Massage: Simple, non-aggressive massage reduces the swelling and expands the muscles.

5. Yoga: Regular yoga training, or yoga activity in the days following rigorous exercise, has a direct impact on muscle recovery.

Overall, any of these techniques, or a combination of them, will help you reduce the amount of time you experience muscle soreness. However, if you wish to truly avoid this, try prevention activities. Be sure your body can handle what you do, always warm up and cool down, and never increase activity by more than 10%. If you listen to your body and work to prevent the onset of muscle soreness, you'll find that you will have to use these above techniques sparingly at best,

Sources:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/doms.htm
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/muscle_aches.htm