DELAYED ONSET OF MUSCLE SORENESS :

After vigorous and unaccustomed resistance training or any form of muscular overexertion, delayed onset muscle soreness, which is noticeable in the muscle belly or at the myotendinous junction.

DOMS begins to develop approximately 12 to 24 hours after the cessation of exercise.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DOMS :

• Muscle soreness and aching beginning 12 to 24 hours after exercise and peaking at 48 to 72 hours
• Tenderness with palpation throughout and involved muscle belly or at the myotendinous junction
• Local edema and warmth
• Muscle stiffness reflected by spontaneous muscle shortening before the onset of pain
• Decreased Range of motion during the time course of muscle soreness
• Decreased muscle strength prior to onset of muscle soreness that persist to 1 to 2 weeks after soreness has remitted

CAUSES :

• Many types of physical activities can cause delayed soreness.
• Most believe soreness develops as a result of microscopic damage likely results from novel stresses that were experienced during the exercise
• Examples of the activities that are known to cause DOMS
• Strength training exercise
• Walking down the hills
• Jogging
• Step aerobics
• Jumping

DOMS PREVENTION :

(i) One of the best ways to reduce the severity DOMS is to progress slowly in the new exercise program, allowing the muscle to adopt the new stress should help to minimize the severity of symptoms.

(ii) It is also important to allow the muscle time to recover from work that produces soreness and participating in the same exercises on subsequent days should to be done judiciously.

(iii) Proper warm up is also important in preparing the muscle for the types of forces that may cause damage.

EASING DOMS SYMPTOMS :

• Ice packs application
• Massage
• Tender point friction massage
• Oral pain relief agents, these are the treatment may be useful and easing the pain

NO PAIN, NO GAIN :

It is unlikely that you will avoid soreness altogether when beginning a new exercise program, However, pain does not need to be present to achieve gains in fitness status, and pain may indicate a need to reduce or refrain from an activity. While eccentric loading of muscle to achieve gains in muscle size appears to be important, gains in strength will occur without overemphasizing the eccentric components of a weightlifting exercise. Pain that occurs during exercise (i.e., acute) singals a problem with the exercise d(too intense, bad firm, etc.) and should be halted before muscle or joint damage occurs.

PREPARED BY
Dr.SHARMILA.,PT (MPT ORTHO)