Intense pains when you restart workouts after a gap? You may have DOMS.

March 29, 2024

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a type of muscle pain that occurs 12–24 hours after strenuous exercise. It can cause stiffness, muscle tenderness, or severe pain. DOMS can affect people of all fitness levels, and is common when athletes return to training after a period of reduced activity or are first introduced to certain activities.

Read on to learn more about DOMS, including symptoms, causes, treatment, and more.

Difference between DOMS and Acute Muscle Soreness

Pain felt during or immediately after a workout is a different kind of muscle soreness. It’s called acute muscle soreness.

Acute muscle soreness is that burning sensation you feel in a muscle during a workout due to a quick buildup of the buildup of metabolites during intense exercise. It usually disappears as soon as or shortly after you stop exercising.

However, DOMS often begins much after your workout has finished. You won’t feel DOMS during a workout.

How to identify if you have DOMS

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, DOMS symptoms typically occur up at least 12 to 24 hours after a workout. The pain tends to peak about one to three days after your workout, and then should ease up after that.

Symptoms of DOMS to watch out for may include:

pain when stretching muscles, leading them to become contracted and tight
muscles that feel tender to the touch
reduced range of motion due to pain and stiffness when moving
swelling in the affected muscles
muscle fatigue
short-term loss of muscle strength

What causes DOMS?

High-intensity exercise can cause tiny, microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. Your body responds to this damage by increasing inflammation, which may lead to a delayed onset of soreness in the muscles.

Pretty much any high-intensity exercise can cause DOMS, but one kind in particular, known as eccentric exercise, often triggers it.

Eccentric exercises cause you to tense a muscle at the same time you lengthen it.

For example, the controlled, downward motion as you straighten your forearm after a biceps curl is an eccentric movement. The way your quads tense up when running downhill is also an eccentric movement.

Is there a connection between DOMS and lactic acid?

It was once thought that a buildup of exercise-induced lactic acid was to blame for DOMS, but this common misconception has been debunked.

Acute muscle soreness is due to lactic acid buildup. DOMS, on the other hand, is not related to lactic acid buildup; it’s due to microscopic tears and muscle damage.

Who can experience DOMS?

DOMS can affect just about anyone, from elite athletes, to beginners, to people who haven’t worked out in a long time.

So, no matter your level of fitness, DOMS may strike whenever you dial up your workout intensity, perform eccentric exercises, or try a new kind of exercise your body isn’t used to.

How to treat DOMS

You might be tempted to rest and avoid all exercise and movement when DOMS strikes, but unless it’s severe, hitting the couch for the day may only worsen pain and stiffness, not ease it.

Listen to your body. If your DOMS is bad, you may need to take a day, or sometimes multiple days, of complete rest to give your muscles a chance to repair.

At a minimum, you’ll want to skip any kind of high-intensity cardio or power lifting sessions when sore. That may only worsen and delay your recovery from DOMS.

Think about trying some gentle movement throughout the day. It won’t speed your recovery, but it might lessen the soreness. Stretching is very helpful to your recovery. To keep your muscles moving, try gentle yoga or some low- to moderate-intensity walking, cycling, or swimming.

Topical analgesics

Topical analgesics are products meant to help relieve pain. Arnica-based topical analgesics help ease the pain of DOMS. These products can be applied topically to the area that’s sore. Consider using Zanskar Arnica based Pain Relief cream if you suffer from DOMS.

Is DOMS a sign of a ‘good’ workout?

Some people think that unless you feel super sore after every workout, you’re not making any fitness gains. But is this true?

No. When you start a new exercise routine or push your limits, you’re more likely to get sore. But as you keep working out, your body adapts.

You may feel less and less sore with each workout, but that in no way means you’re not working out hard enough or that you’re missing out on fitness gains from those workouts.

Can you prevent DOMS?

You may not be able to avoid DOMS all together, but you can take steps to lessen its intensity. Try these tips:

Stay hydrated. One study found that men who exercised in hot, humid temperatures had a big dip in muscle soreness when they drank water before, during, and after exercise, compared to men who didn’t hydrate.
Warmup. Spend 5 to 10 minutes before each workout doing some dynamic stretching. Skip the static stretching until after your workout.
Cool down. In a 2012 study, a 20-minute cool down of low-intensity cycling after a lower-body strength training session led to decreased soreness in the quadriceps muscle two days later. Always end your cool down with some static stretching. It won’t lessen DOMS, but it can boost flexibility in your joints and muscles.
Take it slowly. Take your workouts to the next level of intensity one small step at a time. That can help you safely build your strength and endurance while you minimize the effects of DOMS.

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Medical Review: This article is written by Dr Nishtha Mittal (Senior Health Content Editor at Zanskar Health) and has been medically reviewed by the medical team at Zanskar Health. This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.