Lactic Acid or Torn Muscles?

The technical term for sore muscles is ‘Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness’ – or D.O.M.S. These are the feelings of tightness, pain and tenderness from 24 hours and up to 72 hours after exercising.
The generally accepted view is that DOMS are caused by increased lactate or lactic acid; however this is more commonly being shown to be false. While the precise cause of DOMS is still unknown it is being increasingly linked to the breakdown of muscle fibres.

Breakdown Brings Increased Strength!

Muscle fibres will be broken down at a much greater rate through strength and conditioning training programmes. Although it is stress on the muscular system that causes the breakdown of the fibres this allows the muscles to grow stronger and to hypertrophy.

Even though resistance training is shown to cause the greatest breakdowns, there are other types of exercise that will also results in severe DOMS. These are usually exercises that involve eccentric muscle contractions, like downhill running or slow speeds during the eccentric contraction phase of many weights exercises.

It is still unknown as to whether the pain and soreness that occurs is due to the breaking down of muscle fibres or whether it is the reinforcement process that is responsible for hypertrophy. The reinforcement process is where the muscle cells swell and put pressure on associated nerves and arteries. This is the case after any muscle damage, whether from physical activity or from a severe accident, and is caused by the body’s natural inflammatory response sending white blood cells to the site of injury or trauma.

Prevention

There are no proven ways of reducing your DOMS or curing them when you have them, but there are numerous ways that are typically used and since we are all unique we will all respond differently to different approaches it is impossible to say which technique will work for everyone.

Aiming to prevent DOMS from happening at all is the logical first step. This is best achieved by minimising the potential factors that would make your muscles become broken down or injured further.

•Ensure that you warm-up thoroughly before activity. Perform movements and mobilisations that are specific to the exercise you are about to do and stretch all of the tight muscles in your body.

• Cool down after exercising with gentle stretching for the muscles you have worked throughout your session. Be aware that over-stretching, using many of the common extreme stretching techniques out there, can actually create DOMS as well.

Cure

If you already have DOMS, just know that it is a natural part of your body healing, and it will go away within 3 to 7 days without special treatment. It is the time after your workout that is the most important, when you are recovering and repairing. The more restful and less stressful that this time can be, then the quicker you will recover and repair.

However, if they are just too painful for you to bear try some of these methods that have been useful for others in the past.

• Have an ice bath or contrast water bath where you alternate between hot and cold temperatures of water as a means of aiding circulation.

While the evidence is still up in the air and no one seems to claim all rights over preventing and curing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, it is important to remember that if it occurs it is a necessary part of growing stronger. DOMS doesn’t occur in everyone, but if you are a sufferer experiment with the advice given above and find out what works for you as we are all different.

Lifestyle Approach

In addition to the above, which consists of largely physical factors such as stretching exercises and massage, it is important not to disregard many other lifestyle factors and treatments.

• Staying fully hydrated by drinking plenty of clean water with electrolytes will help your muscles to repair more quickly.
• Good quality nutrition will ensure that your muscles are not being overloaded with extra toxins that they then need to eliminate. Always go for organic food as a preference because they are loaded with many more nutrients to help you to heal fully.
• Homeopathy is important for every aspect of cellular and tissue repair as it works with the constitutional level of recovery and repair.

• The adequate amount of sleep taken at the right times, will stabilise your natural hormonal rhythms and ensure that you are maximising every aspect of muscle recovery, growth and strength.

This Feature is Sponsored by Lifesmart at the Albany