Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

We’ve all been there – you ran a race, lifted heavy at the gym, or added extra miles to your ride – regardless, you worked hard and are now paying for it dearly the day after.

You have what’s known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS.
DOMS can vary in appearance, sometimes starting up anywhere from roughly 12 to 72 hours after a particularly intense bout of exercise.

Essentially, DOMS is muscle soreness that seems to develop long after you’ve completed a workout. It can be confounding to those who experience it due to it's late appearance.

Sure, the workout was tough and you felt it, but once you’ve rested and recovered suddenly you become sore - really sore. Perhaps the best example of this is the day after a Marathon – your legs seem wrecked!

And, it can happen to anyone, no matter what kind of shape they’re in. Any athlete can attest to this, as DOMS is almost certain to appear after a change in duration or intensity, when the muscles are otherwise unaccustomed to new stresses.

Why do we get DOMS?

An older theory of DOMS was that it’s caused by a build up of lactic acid and other ‘waste’ products. In fact, you still probably hear people spout this off here and there! This has been disproven time and time again. Lactic acid is considered a fuel and is gobbled up by exercising muscles – none of it will be found sitting around in your muscles the day after a workout.

DOMS is really due to microscopic damage, or “microtrauma” in the muscles This breakdown of the muscles is normal and plays an important role in adaptation to gains in strength. However when we experience DOMS this is a signal we’ve overdone it and now the muscles are inflamed.

Even stress-adapted muscles are still broken down to some extent when pushed beyond the normal training boundaries.

DOMS most often occurs during eccentric muscle movements, or when force is applied to a muscle that’s lengthening. The best way to think of this is what happens to your thighs as you run down a hill – the quadriceps extend until they are met with the force of the foot hitting the ground.

Symptoms of DOMS

The pain of DOMS is different from that you might encounter during exercise. It’s marked by exquisite tenderness of the muscles – they even hurt to touch! Other common symptoms include:

• Limited range of motion
• Joint tenderness
• Loss of strength
• Minimal swelling of the affected muscles

A very serious, but rare sign includes swollen muscles or dark urine, despite hydration. If this happens, you need to see a doctor. In extreme cases, excess muscle damage can lead to a condition known as rhabdomyolysis. This occurs when muscle breakdown is excessive and uncontrolled. Rhabdomyolysis occurs when the muscles release large amounts of the enzymes myoglobin and creatine kinase, which can quickly overwhelm the kidney’s ability to function normally.

How To Heal from DOMS

1. Active recovery is always a good idea with DOMS. Active recovery entails low intensity exercise that helps your tissues recover from exercise. Think: anything that raises your heart rate and gets you moving - treadmill, jogging, rower, bike training, elliptical, rower, etc. Or, swimming, walking, restorative yoga (heated is a bonus). The idea is just to get the blood flowing - this is always better than parking on the couch. You'll recover faster if you do some active recovery.

2. Cell Rescue formula is our go-to natural anti-inflammatory. It contains a powerful combination of several of the strongest natural anti-inflammatories known. The botanical medicines and proteolytic enzymes work to reduce the pain and inflammation of DOMS, fast.

3. Recovery Charge contains a combination of amino acids in the most effective, anabolic (muscle growing) ratios. It's loaded with 2.5 grams of the important branched chain amino acids (valine, leucine and isoleucine) plus 7 other amino acids that play a central role in muscle health. This formula supplies overworked muscles with the raw materials they need for rapid recovery. 

4. Curcumin Relief - for extra inflammation and pain relief, this curcumin (derived from the herb turmeric) shuts inflammation down, while helping your body recover from the rigors of training.

There you have it - be sure to rest, do some active recovery, stay hydrated, sleep and use the above and you'll be back at it in no time!

You might also consider our Injury Repair Bundle or the Inflammation Control Bundle for extra support.

Here's a detailed video on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: