Should I Continue to Exercise if I am Sore?

This is a topic that many of my athletic trainer friends have asked me to address. The answer in a nutshell is it depends.  I want to venture to say that everyone who begins an exercise program, that hasn't exercised in a while (or ever for that matter) will experience varying degrees of muscle soreness.  There are two types of muscle soreness:  acute and delayed onset.  It would be prudent to discuss overtraining and overwork here as well.  Before you read any further you must know that if you have "normal" soreness I think it is important to continue exercising, though not to extremes, to decrease the time and severity of the soreness.  That means you shouldn't use muscle soreness to skip your class!   In fact, if you continue to skip class you will continue to get sore every time you restart exercising. 

 Isn't this something you want to avoid? 

Acute -  Acute muscle soreness occurs because there is a build up of lactic acid and potassium in the muscle due to a temporary lack of blood flow (think oxygen) to the muscle.  This is the temporary burn that you feel during exercises that stops once you stop exercising when you get a return of adequate blood flow.  I always feel this when I am attempting to run.  When I am jogging, my quads and calves start to burn but stop once I start walking.    Active Recovery exercise generally takes care of this.  Lactic Acid has been given a bad rap over time and you can read more about that  here  if you are so inclined.

DOMS - Acronym for delayed onset muscle soreness.  This generally occurs when you perform resistance exercise either concentrically (muscle shortening) or eccentrically (muscle lengthening) that you are not accustomed to.  This is the type of soreness you feel 1/2 day or a day after the exercise.  You know the kind I am talking about...when you are standing at the top of the stairs wondering just how you are going to make it down them because your thighs are so sore!  You are sore when you stretch or rub the muscle and you might actually feel a little warmth or some swelling.   This can last anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks, ouch!   There is a lot of talk in the literature about DOMS and whether it can be effectively treated or prevented.  Most of it is contradictory.  I feel that if you listen to your body, respect your limitations and don't go all out in the beginning that most of this can be avoided.  Just because the old man next to you can do it, doesn't mean you can too, at least right away.  He has probably been training his entire life and you are just starting.

OverTraining - This occurs when you are too aggressive in your exercise program after you should stop.  This happens with people who have neuromuscular problems where they have impaired sensation and in athletes who are overzealous in their training.  This results in a temporary or even permanent reduction in performance.  This is not what you are looking for when you train hard!    Make sure you are eating correctly, drinking plenty of fluids and taking rest breaks.

Overwork -  Believe it or not you can actually overwork your muscles. Anyone is at risk for this especially those with neuromuscular disorders such as post polio syndrome and Guillian-Barre Syndrome which is more common than you think. Anyone who has an autoimmunity problem is also susceptible, which is very scary,  and we have already touched on that.   When you do overwork your muscles you can actually reduce strength permanently and this is not what exercise is about.  When I worked at Charity Hospital, here in New Orleans before Katrina, I actually had several types of patients that I had to be extremely careful with progressing their exercise.  If I were to work them too hard, too soon, they ran the risk of never regaining strength they so desperately needed.

If you are experiencing soreness, increase your magnesium either orally or with Epsom Salt baths, drink plenty of fluids, practice deep breathing,  stretch before and after exercise (active recovery folks),  take your Omega 3's either as a supplement or as food and for Heaven's sake STAY ACTIVE.    It really is all about nutrition and exercise, just in the right doses.  If you have any joint or spinal pain that is limiting your ability to exercise you know what I am going to say.  "You Deserve a Good Mechanical Evaluation!"  Call or text Grimm Physiotherapy to set up your assessment and treatment plan today!