What are sore muscles? – Definition
Sore muscles represent another term for muscle pain, which occurs about eight to twenty-four hours after an overuse of the muscles. The muscles are sensitive to pressure only on movement and there may be slight swelling and hardening. Muscle soreness can last up to five day, after which you are fully recovered.
How does this happen? - Possible causes
Muscle soreness may be caused by:
- Unusual physical activities and effort
- New, unusual movements (e.g. new gymnastics exercises)
- Extra heavy loads, such as competitions
- But also a general anesthetic (the muscle fibers begin to tremble) or epileptic seizures
The muscles are particularly vulnerable to the "hangover" after deceleration movements, as in downhill climbing or in marathon running. Short-term high-energy costs, such as weight lifting, pulling also draw soreness within themselves.
According to current knowledge, micro-injuries are mainly responsible for the pain after the effort, that is cracks in the smallest "work units" of the muscle fibers. It seems surprising that pain is not felt immediately after an injury. This can be explained by the fact that the nerves "report" the pain to the brain with a time delay, which is caused by certain substances. They are released by the damaged tissue and occur in the inflammatory reactions that initiate the healing process. What metabolic processes play a role in the manifestation of pain is still unclear. However, there is the "lactic acid" theory, according to which there is an outdated acidification of the muscles with lactic acid.
Are sore muscles noticeable? – Symptoms
A patient remains pain-free eight to twenty-four hours after a painful movement, which is when the muscle tension disappears. If the muscle is weak and sensitive to pressure, it can harden and swell.
What comes next? – Complications
The climax usually comes after two or three days and the damage is repaired completely after five to six days. When the repair processes are complete, more micro-fibers, called fibrils, are created and the muscle becomes stronger.
However, there is an increased risk of injury if the muscles are sore and not treated with a sports cream treatment. The pain in the muscle impedes the usual motions and one can make a clumsy move and can get a hamstring pull or a joint injury if the weakened muscles of the joint are not supported properly.
A doctor should be consulted if the soreness lasts longer than presumed because you may have a serious muscle injury.
What else can sore muscles look like? - Diseases with similar symptoms
Fatigue and pain feel the same, but occur even during stressful periods.
A muscle spasm also leads to severe pain along with swelling. However, the pain is very severe.
Hardening of the muscle can also cause a lot of pain. It can impede one to move.
Muscle strains and muscle tears can also lead to severe pain. However, the pain occurs immediately in these cases and the symptoms last longer since these are more serious injuries.
Muscle pain, bruises and swelling restrict one’s movement and is almost always preceded by an external force. Typical bruises are usually determined by injured blood vessels.
Grandmother’s advice - Home remedies
The following things are recommended to prevent aching:
- Always warm up your muscles well before exercising and rub them with circulation enhancing oils
- Untrained muscles do not keep up too much or too long, so you should go through weekly endurance training
Contrary to the advice given by some people, stretching and massage before or immediately after exercising has not been proven to be a preventive remedy for sore muscles.
Here is what can help if the muscle soreness has already occurred:
- Easy jogging or aerobics: This promotes the removal of pain-inducing substances.
- Relaxation exercises and careful passive stretching.
- Relaxing baths or massages with circulation enhancing ointments (with rosemary or pine needles).
- Gentle massage.
- Sauna or baths (3 min 20 sec warm and then cold).
The information provided stands for a brief description and is not complete. It should not be used for identifying a medical condition or a treatment method. Please contact your doctor or a pharmacist if you experience any of the symptoms described above
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