The Difference Between Soreness and Injury After Exercise
By: Brian Acton
Anyone who’s completed a tough workout can attest to the transformative nature of exercise. Strenuous workouts can help us improve our overall fitness, gradually conditioning our bodies and increasing our strength or endurance. Soreness is a natural result of pushing our bodies through difficult physical tasks. Putting tension on your muscles actually causes micro tears to form, which repair themselves in the days following your workout. But how can you tell the difference between muscle soreness – which is a natural and expected consequence of working out – and pain due to an injury? Here are a few ways:
Time of Discomfort - Soreness after exercise often peaks between 24-72 hours after exercise. Known as Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness (DOMS), this soreness is the body’s natural reaction to exercise. DOMS can cause tender, aching muscles. But after a few days, that soreness should be subsiding or have completely disappeared. If your discomfort is lingering beyond the 72-hour mark, it’s possible that you have experienced an injury.
Type of Discomfort - Sometimes, soreness and injury can feel similar. But often the difference should be obvious. Soreness generally comes in the form of achy or stiff muscles that react when we work them during everyday activity. On the other hand, if you are feeling sharp pains that cause an unusual restriction of your mobility, you may have experienced an injury. Also, if the pain is consistent and occurring whether you’re at rest or moving, this is indicative of an injury.
How to Treat It - If you’re experiencing the kind of soreness typical of a killer workout, you can help yourself by treating your body right: getting enough sleep, hydrating, and eating right will help your body recover. You can also work out tight muscles using a therapy roller, get a massage, and make sure to stretch. Other than that, the best thing to do is wait out the soreness – it will go away in time. If you’re feeling sharp or extreme pain, or pain that lasts well beyond 72 hours after exercise, it’s very possible you’ve sustained an injury. Depending on the injury, hot or cold therapy can help reduce swelling and relieve pain. But don’t wait for the pain to subside if you expect you’re injured. You can schedule an appointment with your doctor or physical therapist just to make sure you’re treating your injury properly.
Sources: http://www.moveforwardpt.com/resources/detail/soreness-vs-pain-whats-difference http://www.mensfitness.com/training/pro-tips/trainer-qa-am-i-sore-or-injured http://www.reboundmd.com/latest-news/difference-between-soreness-and-pain/
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