Exercising with sore muscles can improve or worsen the mild pain, depending on the type of exercise. We’ll explain what you should know in this article.
Probably everyone has had a nasty sore muscle at some point. The nasty pulling sensation usually occurs after sporting activities or other heavy physical stress. Then certain muscle groups feel a little heavier and less flexible for a while. For some, sport seems unthinkable, while others train with sore muscles. But is that a good idea?
Training with sore muscles: How does sore muscles actually arise?
The pain that you often feel when your muscles are sore after training is caused by micro-injuries in the muscle fibers: These tear during unusual or intense movements. As our body begins to repair the fibers, water enters them. The fluid accumulates to form edema, which causes the muscle to swell and causes muscle soreness.
Exercise is the most common cause of muscle soreness. The following applies: the less trained you are or the more unusual the movement, the more likely it is that your muscles will become sore. In addition to exercise, medications or illnesses (e.g. flu or corona) can also trigger muscle soreness. If this is the case, you should definitely seek medical advice.
Training with sore muscles: This is what you should keep in mind
According to Netdoktor, muscle soreness usually lasts for a maximum of ten days and goes away on its own. It leaves no further damage. To support the healing process, you should protect the relevant muscle groups as much as possible. Nevertheless, it is also possible to train with sore muscles. According to the Gundelfingen Joint Clinic, it is important that you use other muscle groups:
- You can use a gentle training method that you carry out as loosely as possible. Swimming, aqua jogging, yoga or even slow jogging and cycling are particularly suitable. Such sports can even support the healing process and thus help combat muscle soreness.
- However, in order not to put more strain on the affected muscle groups, you should avoid heavy strength training.
- Also practice listening to your body’s signals: You may feel weak and weak for a few days after a workout. In this case, give yourself a break and don’t force yourself to train with sore muscles just because your training plan says so. Sport should, first and foremost, be fun for you and not a compulsory program that you have to complete.
If you have particularly bad muscle soreness, it’s better not to exercise.
Exercising with sore muscles: How to get rid of them faster
If you want to train despite sore muscles, there are ways to relieve the pain. You can try the following tips to combat sore muscles:
- According to the Pharmacy Review, contrast showers can relieve your sore muscles. You rinse yourself alternately with cold and warm water. This increases blood circulation and the inflammation subsides more quickly.
- Warm compresses or sauna visits can also help with sore muscles. They calm the affected muscles.
What you should definitely avoid are massages. According to the Pharmazeutische Zeitung, these can be counterproductive. The pressure from the massage can further worsen the fiber injuries. Sometimes a massage can even trigger muscle soreness.
It is often said that stretching provides relief. But according to the Pharmacy Review, stretching exercises neither prevent muscle soreness nor shorten it.
Edited by Lea Hermann
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