If you’re living a healthy, active lifestyle, you may have experienced soreness after a workout or sporting session. In fact, you may even have noticed that your muscle soreness lasted for a couple of days, getting worse as time went on. Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or simply a novice who’s getting started, these aches probably concerned you or at the very least, stopped you from fulfilling your normal routine.

At the same time, you probably wanted to know how to prevent this issue in the future, as well as the process involved in having it occur in the first place. This soreness, otherwise known as delayed-onset muscle soreness or DOMS, can be a real hindrance. But as experts in massage therapy, the staff at Dreamclinic is your source for understanding and preventing this issue.

What is DOMS?

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS, is a type of soreness that builds up over the course of about 48 hours. During that time, it often gets progressively worse and is thought to be caused by the movement of your muscle as it is being stretched during activity. Once upon a time, researchers thought lactic acid was the culprit, but not any longer. In fact, DOMS is caused by an inflammation process that starts within a few hours of your workout.

Who does DOMS affect?

You might think that DOMS only impacts professional weightlifters or regular runners. But the truth is that Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness can affect anyone, of any age. In fact, if you’re a less seasoned athlete or you haven’t been active in a while, you may have a greater chance of experiencing DOMS than a more experienced or active person.

Should you work through it?

There’s still some debate about whether working through DOMS is advised or not. In reality, jumping right back into your regular workout might not be the wisest course of action. However, you don’t need to worry. In most cases, you can return to your routine after a rest and light activity. In fact, the best course of action you can take is to do light stretching, a massage, and minor exercises that encourage blood flow. You can also use foam rolling as well, which will provide additional relief. However, you should probably avoid heavy lifting or other strenuous aspects of your active routine.

How do you prevent it?

One of the biggest recommendations we can give regarding DOMS and prevention is to warm up before your workouts or activities. You can use your foam roller or general stretching. Although the health community is talking a great deal about BCAAs, or branched-chain amino acids, timing their intact correctly can be a bit of a pain and often requires a supplement. For most people, stretching and a regular massage can work wonders in and of itself.

Do you live an active lifestyle and experience DOMS? The staff at Dreamclinic is happy to schedule a massage for you and help you on your road to recovery!