What Causes Sore Muscles After Training and How To Relieve The Pain?

When you engage in an intense workout, it’s common to experience muscle soreness afterwards. This discomfort, also known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), often becomes noticeable 12-24 hours after a workout and can linger for several days. It’s a normal part of the recovery process and a sign that your body is getting stronger.

So what causes this soreness? During challenging exercises, microscopic damage happens to muscle fibers, which triggers inflammation and pain. This is not something to worry about, as it is a natural part of the process of muscle building and strengthening. As your body repairs the muscles, they become larger and stronger than before. However, the key is to manage the pain effectively so you can continue your workout routine without interruption.

This brings us to the key question: What is the best muscle pain relief?

The Best Muscle Pain Relief

There are several ways to alleviate muscle soreness after training. Here, we have discussed the most effective ones:

1. Cold and Heat Therapy

A combination of cold and heat therapy can work wonders for sore muscles. Cold therapy like ice packs applied to sore muscles reduces inflammation and numbs the pain. This should ideally be done within the first 24-48 hours post-workout. After this period, heat therapy like hot baths or use of heat packs can further relieve pain by relaxing and loosening the muscles.

2. Active Recovery

Light activities like walking, cycling, or doing yoga increase blood flow to the muscles, helping them recover faster. Active recovery also aids in reducing stiffness and discomfort while speeding up the healing process by delivering more nutrients to the muscles.

3. Massage

Massaging sore muscles helps to reduce tension and ease pain. Furthermore, massage encourages blood circulation which aids in faster recovery. Using a foam roller for self-massage is also an efficient way to alleviate muscle soreness.

4. Proper Nutrition and Hydration

Adequate nutrition, particularly proteins, aids the body in repairing and building muscle tissues making it a critical part of recovery. Further, staying well-hydrated can help flush out the toxins and speed up the recovery process.

While these methods provide relief, the best approach is to prevent excessive muscle soreness from happening in the first place. Appropriate warm-up before exercises, gradually increasing the intensity of workouts, and taking time to cool down after can go a long way in preventing significant muscle damage and subsequent pain.

Remember, muscle soreness is a normal part of training and a sign of muscle growth. So, don’t be discouraged by the discomfort. Instead, view it as a sign that you’re making progress. And use the best muscle pain relief strategies to manage it accordingly.