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Read here how painful muscle soreness sets in, how you can best prevent it and what you should definitely avoid.
Mammals usually hibernate during the cold season. Well-fed, they start this after a full period in late autumn, only to come out of hibernation much slimmer in February or March. The opposite is the case with humans. From the first Advent, but at the latest over the Christmas holidays, many people put on a layer of fat.
In the spring, a blue miracle blooms for many when looking at the scales. In order to get rid of excess kilos, the first thing that helps is physical training. But behind the first effort of the year usually lurks Muscle cramp. Answers to the most important questions about the overload phenomenon can be found here.
How does sore muscles come about?
As a sore muscle fatigue pain referred to, which usually follows one to three days after an intensive strength or endurance exercise. In some cases, the pain even lasts a week. As with a hangover after a night of drinking, the term is derived from ‘catarrh’, the ancient Greek term for inflammation of the mucous membranes. Instead of a respiratory cold, people with sore muscles suffer from millions of microtears in the muscle tissue. These are a result of overuse from unfamiliar movements or excessive exertion.
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Anja Hirschmüller, professor of orthopedics at a sports clinic in Rheinfelden, Switzerland, explained to “Apotheken Umschau” why this causes pain in tired athletes: “The muscles try to cure to support these tears by activating the immune system. This leads to an inflammatory reaction locally.” Athletes have to expect particularly bad muscle pain the day after an activity, the more unusual the load or the more intense the overload was.
How do I get rid of the pain?
Because muscle soreness is an accumulation of numerous small muscle tears and inflammation, a proactive approach is recommended. In plain language, this means that Cardiovascular to get going, for example by light jogging, swimming, or extensive games. Those who cannot overcome their weaker self in view of the pain can do something good for themselves with heat treatments, such as infrared radiation or hot water bottles. Alternating showers with warm and cold water are also beneficial.
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In the regeneration Drinking a lot also helps. This also supports the organism in flushing inflammation triggers and waste products from the metabolism out of the body. Mineral water is particularly recommended thanks to the magnesium it contains. In the form of powder or tablets, magnesium works best if it is taken before exercise. In the case of unbearable muscle pain, painkillers such as ibuprofen can help, for example to prevent harmful protective postures or to guarantee a good night’s sleep.
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What makes the sore muscles worse?
If you train through the pain, you can make relatively big progress in a short time. This can be observed, for example, when football teams fly to a training camp before the season or endurance athletes go to the intensive phase of their training before the Olympics training plan step. But if you don’t have an experienced physiotherapist at your side, you can also score an own goal. The training method, known in training theory as increasing fatigue, can lead to permanent inflammation and thus to muscle fiber tears or incorrect loading due to a relieving posture.
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There are also two otherwise patent treatment methods risks. Intensive stretching of affected muscle parts can intensify the tears in the tissue. The same applies to vigorous massages. Executed in a light form, both can also have a regenerative effect.
How does muscle soreness turn into muscle growth?
It is widely believed that sore muscles are the best indicator of muscle growth. Basically, any sporting activity that goes beyond the stress threshold – and thus triggers fatigue reactions such as sore muscles – serves as the basis for muscle gain. However, two things are required to achieve the muscles you are hoping for: First, a diet that promotes growth. The most important component for this are proteins.
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How do I prevent muscle soreness?
However, eating too much protein can also have the opposite effect. The human organism is particularly good at animal proteins use to build muscle, but on the other hand, high meat consumption increases the inflammatory markers in the blood, which can counteract the development of inflammation. It is therefore important to ensure a balanced diet. A nutrient-rich diet with vitamins, minerals, roughage and antioxidants is used for prophylaxis.
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In order for the desired muscle development to occur, continuous exercise is also required training. You should exercise at least once a week, but two or three times would be recommended. In “Fitbook”, sports scientist Stephan Geisler puts the simple principle in a nutshell: “The more often and harder you train, the less sore muscles will usually be”. In order to prevent signs of fatigue from occurring in the first place, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Warm up: Warmed up and well stretched muscles are more resilient and efficient. The older or less trained the athlete, the more important the warm-up is to prevent injuries.
- Adjust Tempo: Anyone who gets active again after a long break should start slowly and gradually approach the stress limit.
- Know load limit: Being aware of your own training status is important to avoid overloading. It helps to optimally tare peak loads in order to achieve a pain-free increase in performance.
- Cool down: After intensive training, strained muscle parts can be proactively relieved of fatigue, for example through light stretching and leisurely running out.
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