Delayed onset muscle soreness

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

What is delayed onset muscle soreness? It is an extreme form of muscle soreness experienced 12, 24 or 48 hours after a workout. Ever get the feeling when the next day or two after a thigh workout you cannot walk up or down the stairs without grunting or it being extremely painful? Well that would be an example of DOMS. Some people like myself enjoy the feeling and some find it extremely annoying. I take it as a sign of a great workout.

Symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness include swelling, pain when contracting, tightness, weakness and muscle fatigue. The treatments options are the same as the ones outlined in the basic muscle soreness page.

Stages of DOMS

Starts with a soreness usually occurring around 12 hours after a workout. A lot of times the soreness will gradually increase from 12 hours to 48 hours after exercise. After that the muscle will gradually start feeling better day by day up to 7 or even 8-9 days depending on the severity of the DOMS.

If any soreness is still there after 7 days you may want to consult a doctor or physician.

Back to the Weight Lifting Articles

Related

Muscle Soreness - Detailed pictures of muscle tear in the muscle fibers and Treatment options