Muscle Pain

Muscle pain is pain that is felt in the muscles. Overloading the muscles results in muscle pain. This means that a (too) strenuous training session causes muscle soreness. As a result of muscle pain, muscle strength is temporarily reduced and muscle tension is temporarily increased.

In general, muscle soreness is the result of strenuous exertion. Muscle soreness can appear quite quickly after the effort, but it can also present later. Often the muscle soreness is worst on the second day. After a few days the muscle soreness disappears again.

Different types of muscle soreness

There are two different types of muscle soreness: acute muscle soreness and delayed muscle soreness.

Acute muscle soreness
Acute muscle soreness is felt during and immediately after a workout or heavy labor. A few minutes to a few hours after the effort, the pain has disappeared. This pain is caused by the accumulation of lactic acid. Lactic acid is a waste product produced during exertion. When the exertion is too high, the body cannot remove this waste product quickly enough.

Delayed muscle soreness
Delayed muscle soreness is the most well-known kind. It is also sometimes called a muscle hangover. This muscle soreness is felt one or two days after exertion.

To properly understand delayed muscle soreness, a brief explanation of different muscle contractions is needed.

• Isometric muscle contraction.
  The muscle produces force but there is no movement. For example, sitting against a wall. The muscle remains the same length.
• Concentric muscle contraction.
  The muscle produces force with movement. The muscle shortens during the contraction. For example, bending the elbow (with a small weight in the hand). The biceps shortens, making it thicker and more visible.
• Eccentric muscle contraction.
  The muscle lengthens while force is being produced. So while producing force the muscle is stretched. For example, the controlled return phase from a bent elbow. Movements going downward are usually eccentric movements, such as walking downstairs, going down a slope, and the downward phase of a squat or push-up.

Delayed muscle soreness is mainly a result of eccentric muscle contractions. In this case there is very small muscle damage.

The damage triggers processes in the muscle cells that cause pain and swelling. The subsequent inflammatory reaction is the start of recovery.

Training with muscle soreness

Because of the muscle damage, (sports) performance is reduced during a period of muscle soreness. It is therefore not possible to fully train with muscle soreness. In addition, it does not feel good; the muscles are painful and stiff.

When the load of the training is reduced a bit, it is possible to train. A reduction of about 10% to 20% in load applies here. This is easy when it comes to strength training. Choosing 10% to 20% less weight is simple. But with other activities or sports this is more difficult.

Research has shown that no additional muscle damage occurs when you train with muscle soreness, provided the load goes down. Training therefore does not delay the recovery process.

It is not recommended to continuously exercise with muscle soreness. A muscle must be given time to fully recover.

Treatment of muscle soreness

Muscle soreness is an overuse of the muscles. Therefore, it is important to allow sufficient time for the muscles to recover. Moving with muscle soreness is allowed, but the advice is not to train the affected muscles too hard as long as they are painful.

Muscle soreness can be treated with massage, active recovery (gentle movement), contrast baths warm/cold, and compression garments (tight clothing). Normally muscle soreness disappears after a few days.

It is often assumed that stretching the muscles before or after a workout can prevent muscle soreness. This has not been scientifically proven. Good training progression, a cool-down, drinking enough water, and replenishing minerals and proteins promote recovery. In this, a cool-down means gently moving the muscles (such as a brisk walk, cycling, or swimming).

Preventing muscle soreness

There is not yet a clear approach to prevent muscle soreness. Regular exercise reduces muscle soreness, although well-trained people can also develop muscle soreness after a workout that requires maximal effort.

Muscle soreness and flu

Muscle soreness can also be the result of conditions that affect your entire body. Flu is a well-known example of this. Do not exercise intensely when you have a fever.