Delayed muscle pain is not severe, but it is undoubtedly the most common complication that all athletes have experienced; some would prefer not to have it, but for others, it is proof that training works. The pain usually comes the day after a significant muscular effort that you are not used to. This soreness, even annoying, increases with movement and pressure on the muscle.
Muscle Pain The Next Day
After a workout with significant efforts that are usually not practiced, or done when training starts again, or after exaggerating in the gym, it happens that the muscles hurt. Many times, the cause is thought to be lactic acid, but this is not really the case. Often, it is DOMS from the English acronym Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, which in Italian we define as delayed pain or soreness, that is, muscle pain the next day, caused by microtraumas that contribute to muscle adaptation. Delayed muscle pain can be prevented, but if it occurs, it must be managed.
When And How It Is Generated Doms
The symptoms appear a few hours after training:
- In general, 24/72 hours after exercise can cause swelling, a feeling of weakness, and stiffness,
- It occurs because eccentric muscle contraction (the one that appears to slow down the descent of an object or body) particularly stresses the elastic proteins of the muscle fibers to the point of causing them to break. When this happens, an inflammatory response occurs in the muscle, following which the mechanical muscle stimuli (stretch, pressure) are no longer perceived as such but as painful stimuli (muscle hyperalgesia).
- The permanence of the symptom also depends on the type of exercise; recovery can be longer with single-joint exercises and shorter when multiple joints are used such as in squats.
What To Do In Case Of Doms
Suppose DOMS occurs sporadically after heavy or unusual exercise. In that case, there is no need to worry, but if it appears frequently after training, you should contact your doctor to identify the causes and appropriate therapy. To prevent DOMS, it is advisable:
- Correctly plan the intensity of the exercise and the distribution of the workload in your training programming.
- Always carry out an excellent warm-up, as the temperature and progressive effort reduce the onset of microtraumas.
- Carry out the exercises gradually, increasing the intensity and, obviously, the load and speed (not for all exercises) to avoid incorrect executions.
- Avoid harmful elastic joint rebounds; they worsen microtrauma and are always dangerous.
- Check recovery times; a tired muscle functions poorly and is unable to regenerate from inflammation.
- Don’t skip the aerobic cool-down, which facilitates recovery.
- Do not take supplements unless prescribed by your doctor. Adopt a balanced diet.
- Drink a lot to avoid dehydration, facilitate the work of the kidneys, and the disposal of substances that cause DOMS.
What To Eat To Prevent Doms
For everyone, and in particular for those who practice sports, a balanced diet is the key to physical and mental well-being and performance. But in the case of DOMS, the variety, quantity and frequency of some foods should be considered.
- To avoid energy drops, consume carbohydrates: cereals, potatoes, legumes, and sweet fruit.
- For the correct dose of creatine, don’t exclude meat.
- The proteins you introduce must provide the eight essential amino acids, including the branched leucine, isoleucine, and valine because they repair muscle fibers damaged by exercise and provide immediate energy.
- You can find essential amino acids in more significant quantities in meat, fish and fish, eggs, milk, and derivatives such as Grana Padano DOP, which provides 33% of proteins and high amounts of essential amino acids, including branched amino acids.
Furthermore, Grana Padano DOP contains the most significant quantity of bioavailable calcium, the mineral essential for muscle contraction as well as for the health of the skeleton, and essential minerals such as zinc and selenium as well as an excellent quantity of vitamin B12 essential for the proper functioning of the system nervous system and the maturation of red blood cells.
Omega 3 fatty acids, these polyunsaturated fats, have an anti-inflammatory effect and can help reduce the symptoms in case of DOMS; they are contained in more significant quantities in oily fish, salmon, and flax seeds, and dried fruit also provide reasonable amounts of shell. Vitamin E can have positive effects on DOMS. To guarantee your daily needs, season and cook with 25 grams of extra virgin olive oil per day. Consume vegetables of all colors at every meal and approximately 450 g of fruit per day to cover your daily requirement of vitamins and minerals.
Natural And Pharmacological Remedies
Remember that delayed pain is an absolutely benign condition and passes within a few days in healthy people; DOMS should be prevented simply by proper planning of exercise and training.
Rest and respecting recovery times are the best natural remedies for DOMS. It was recently reported that massage could provide noticeable results for DOMS. Drugs that can potentially reduce DOMS are not advisable. Still, to better tolerate the pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be prescribed by your doctor, always taken on a full stomach, or in combination with medicines from the omeprazole family (proton pump inhibitors).
Also Read: Physical Activity To Work Your Muscles