DOMS

You might be asking yourself what's this?  DOMS=Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.  I like to call it DOBS=Delayed Onset BODY Soreness or when you feel like your muscles are so tight they are going to fall off.  

I recently ran a marathon and I had some extremely sore muscles for a good 2/3 days.  I was quickly reminding myself of all the helpful tips I've learned to relieve muscle soreness and to get back to normal.

First of all lets talk about why we get DOMS.  After putting the muscles through any type of stress (exercise, lifting weights, physical therapy, etc.) the body actually breaks the muscle down in order to build it up and make it stronger.  The torn muscle fibers then result in stiffness and pain that can come anywhere from 12-48 hours after.  

People get sore for different reasons.  A few examples of when you might get sore would be starting a new workout program, changing your workout routine, increasing intensity/duration of a program, or just switching to a different type of movement that your body isn't used to.

Ways to treat DOMS

-Rest/Ice/Compress/Elevate 

-Gentle massaging

-Ibuprofin (800 mg every 4 hrs) this doesn't help the muscles to actually recover it just helps to relieve some of the pain

-Warm baths (add 1-2 cups of Epsom salt in bath to help even more) 

-Gentle stretching/yoga if you feel up to it

-Keep moving.  light exercise or just walking.  If you completely stop activity your muscles will contract even more and it will feel like they're just getting worse

-Drink plenty of water to help with circulation

So there you have it.  A few of my tips that helped me get my legs back.  Hopefully this will help next time you feel like your 90 years old walking around with a cane.