NEWS

How to avoid delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)

John Gallucci Jr.
  • A common complaint is soreness in the lower extremities such as the legs, hips and calves
  • Overstress the musculoskeletal system, there is an opportunity for DOMS to set in
  • It’s important to warm up before any acitivity

Whether you are a fitness enthusiast that’s just about to start your new regimen in the fall season or you’re an athlete that’s getting ready to enter into preseason in high school, club, or college sports — we all have to be aware of delayed onset muscle soreness.

What is delayed onset muscle soreness? Delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, can begin within six to eight hours after any type of strenuous exercise, but typically you will feel this soreness 24 to 48 hours following exercise. A common complaint following exercise is soreness in the lower extremities such as the legs, hips and calves. However, we can see delayed onset muscle soreness throughout the entire body and musculoskeletal system. If we overstress the musculoskeletal system, there is an opportunity for DOMS to set in.

It is very important to understand this process to help one avoid or alleviate it.

In the past, some people believed that DOMS was a build-up of lactic acid following a workout. However, the true concept is that biologically the body is causing small micro-traumas, or tears, in the muscle which leads to a small amount of bleeding, inflammation and stiff muscles, causing us to feel pain. It is common for people to go to their first day of a workout and already have the mindset of losing a lot of weight and becoming as fit as Arnold Schwarzenegger in a short amount of time — this mindset does not work.

Instead of a gradual build up of exercise, people push themselves too hard and quick, which causes injury or DOMS. A good example of DOMS are the athletes working too hard during preseason, because their coaches begin with two sessions each day and do not leave enough time for the muscles to heal. The coaches need to understand that doing “too much, too soon,” does not only cause DOMS, but can also cause overuse injuries at an accelerated rate and/or muscles strains; because the muscles were not prepared for this type of strenuous exercise.

When we look at DOMS, it is important for us to understand that before any activity we need to make sure that the body is warmed up.

I recommend heating up your body by jogging, jumping jacks or full body motions to increase circulation that helps the musculoskeletal system heal. It is recommended to have a moderate workout first, especially if it is the first time you are working out in a long time. We, as professionals in the fitness world, explain to people that they should start off slowly and then gradually build up. Additionally, we recommend that on the day following a strenuous work out, one should perform a cardiovascular exercise to get the circulatory system pumping to decrease inflammation, which ultimately decreases the pain in the muscles.

I would advise working with an appropriate fitness trainer, strength and conditioning trainer, certified athletic trainer or physical therapist that can do a full evaluation before you start working out. These professionals will make sure that your joints are going through a full range of motion and will have an understanding of what your output is going to be.

They can create a regime for four to six weeks of a full and effective workout. If you are going to the gym for the first time and a fitness trainer has you doing four sets of 10 with a high amount of weight, you will ultimately end up needing physical therapy due to a torn muscle. To keep yourself out of the doctor’s office, remember, it is important to start off with lightweights and good biomechanics. One should follow a regimen of low repetitions in the beginning and then begin to build up.

John Gallucci Jr. is the president of JAG Physical Therapy (www.japgpt.com) with nine locations throughout New Jersey.