Understanding How To Cure Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

By Author: johny smith
Total Articles: 2
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Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS is a condition that is very common among athletes. This condition will affect both beginners and also experienced athletes. The athlete will experience muscular pain, ache and soreness. This occurs after extensive training or after participating in a new exercise. Muscle soreness also occurs when an athlete’s increases the intensity or duration of the training. A lot of research has been carried out for many years to determine the cause of the sores and also how to provide relief. To date there is no research that provides plausible explanation.

The most common explanation states that a new or intense exercise involves lengthening and contraction of the muscles. This leads to the muscle fibers tearing hence causing the pain. Exercises that involve a lot of contraction and lengthening of the muscles will result to Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. This will especially occur if an athlete has been on a break or increases the workout. Such exercises include push-ups, running, squats and weight training. Ways in which athletes seek sport recovery include taking some time off or ...
... reducing the intensity of the workout. This rest period allows the microscopic muscle tears to heal.

Some athletes will also choose to continue the training while bearing the pain. This also provides healing to the athlete after sometime. The muscular pains and sores affect how an athlete trains. The muscle function usually changes hence placing undue strain on other regions such as the tendons and ligaments. This has adverse effects on the outcome of the exercise as the athlete is forced to compromise the training due to pain. Muscle aches also affect the performance since the athlete is unable to reach the maximum training potential. Training through DOMS also causes further injury as more muscle fiber rapture in the process.

It is important for an athlete to gain healing. This is especially crucial for serious athletes. However, healing methods that provide relief against delayed onset of muscle soreness are quite few. Athletes use conventional methods which provide sport recovery. These include gentle stretches, taking some time off and massage. Modern healing comprise of homeopathy, acupuncture, low intensity laser treatment and hyperbaric chamber. Research shows that these techniques alongside other healing methods such as use of flavones and fish oil have little benefit.

Oral consumption of anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen which contain no steroids is more effective. Unfortunately, these medicines affect the prostaglandin pathway which is essential for sport recovery. Alternative research suggests targeting the immune system in order to gain relief for the muscle soreness. Limited knowledge on the functioning of the immune system during body exercises has led to mixed results. When DOMS occurs, leukocytes penetrate the skeletal muscle thus affecting the activity of cytokine. This leads to an increase in C-reactive protein, cytokines, interleukins and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). This effect is similar to that of the immune system when combating bacteria. This similarity suggests that changing the levels of cytokines will result to relief against the muscle soreness and aches.

Johny Smith is the author of this article on Sport Recovery.
Johny Smith is the author of this article on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.