The sore body after working out can be one of the effects you can feel immediately after exercise. After exercising, the next day, you may wake up with aches and pains almost all over your body.
Why does the body aches after exercise?
Doing a new type of exercise or movement can damage muscle cells. That is commonly known as DOMS or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, which is normal.
It will apply to everyone, even professional athletes, though. Damage to muscle tissue is what causes pain. The body is sore after working out indicates that the muscles start adjusting to the stress during a workout.
DOMS usually appears 12 to 24 hours after exercise. This pain can last for the next 24 to 48 hours.
That is why you usually only feel sore the next day or hours after exercising.
When experiencing DOMS, exercise movements make muscle fibers break. Muscles will adapt to repair these fibers to become stronger.
When you do the same activity again, the muscles get more robust and can adapt. The pain did not appear again.
For example, if it’s your first time doing ten push-ups, your arms and stomach will likely hurt the next day because you’re not used to it.
By the next day, your muscles are better able to adapt, and ten push-ups are no longer painful.
Causes Body is sore after working out.
Muscle pain after exercise due to DOMS is different from the condition of muscle aches and pains. You can experience this condition if you do things like the following.
- Start doing exercises for the first time or have not exercised in a long time.
- Add new activities to your regular exercise program.
- Increase the amount of exercise intensity.
- Do long activities over and over again without adequate rest.
In addition, several types of exercise can increase the risk of DOMS:
- Jog.
- Aerobics.
- Down the hill.
- Jump.
- Muscle strength training.
How to deal with body pain after exercise
Here are some ways to deal with muscle soreness after exercise.
- Sports massage.
- Take a cold shower or warm water.
- Soak in cold water.
- Light aerobic exercise such as light walking, small jumps, or light running in place.
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers, namely ibuprofen and paracetamol.
Body pain after exercise is a normal condition if you start exercising again or increase the intensity of your workout.
If the pain is unbearable, take a break to rest.
Body pain after exercise to watch out for
You should know the difference between muscle soreness due to exercise adaptation and muscle pain caused by muscle overuse or injury.
Some signs and symptoms of the body being sore after working out that you need to watch out for are:
- Feeling not able to do all light daily activities or work.
- Pain sensation does not go away after more than 72 hours.
- Swelling of the legs can involve running injuries.
- Reduced range or movement of joints due to swelling.
- Dark urine color or less frequent urination.
- Increased heart rate, even at rest.
- Frequent cold and flu symptoms.
- Decreased appetite than usual.
If you experience any of these symptoms after exercising, allow your body to rest fully.
