Steps to soothe sore muscles
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- Created on Saturday, 19 June 2010 20:58
- Written by Nathan
By MILO F. BRYANT, Fitness Columnist
We’ve all heard the old saying: “No pain, no gain.”
Although I find that statement ludicrous, I do draw a distinction between pain and soreness. We’re inevitably going to experience soreness as fitness enthusiasts.
The worst kind of soreness is called delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS.
The phenomenon is a literal pain in the gluteus maximus that every exercise enthusiast will feel at some point.
DOMS occurs when an enthusiast performs vigorous exercise after doing very little for an extended time, resulting in soreness you feel the day after tomorrow.
DOMS can be an ordeal if not properly treated. Trust me on this one.
I’ve gone through some intense cross-training workouts and stupidly didn’t take proper care of my muscles after the workout. I paid for it for several days.
We tear muscle fibers when we work out. The soreness felt after an energetic session is the torn muscle. At rest, our body repairs the muscle fibers, making them bigger and stronger.
That progression is call hypertrophy.
We’re not able to totally get away from the soreness, but we can minimize it.
And we can start off by getting in the hot tub! See, not all aspects of exercise are grueling. The only problem with the hot tub is getting in too soon.
We need to wait for a few hours after the workout.
Heat promotes blood flow, which promotes inflammation and increased soreness if administered immediately after the workout. Wait three or four hours, and the heated waters becomes a soothing friend.
This may sound draconian, but if you’re getting into water right after a workout, it should be cold water, 50-55 degrees.
Many collegiate and professional football teams use 55-gallon drums filled with ice and water during summer camps.
After a spirited and hot practice, players get into the drums for no longer than five to six minutes. The cold water slows blood flow and therefore the inflammation. It also helps cool the athlete’s core body temperature.
After the hot tub, a massage is in order. Many physiologists say that lactic acid has nothing to do with muscle soreness. But there are hundreds of team trainers who say that flushing lactic acid from the muscles helps their players recover faster. They perform the “flushing” with sports massage.
For the strange few of us who are not into hot tubs and massage, there is a pill. Tylenol, Nuprin, Motrin and Advil are anti-inflammatory medicines that help ease the soreness.
Finally, few of us get enough rest. Make sure there is adequate time between the vigorous workout and the time you need to use that particular muscle group again.
In other words, if you’re going to be painting Saturday, it wouldn’t be a good idea to attack your shoulders on Thursday.
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