All About Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) has been used as a valuable indicator of building muscles and getting stronger. Every keen body builder or fitness lover has at one point of time or other experienced DOMS. Many questions about its recovery and the causes have arisen from time to time. Still not all of them have been answered so far. Research is going on nevertheless to help overcome soreness.

Mind2Muscles - Fitness Facts

DOMS is the muscle soreness that occurs after an intense workout. The period varies from 24 to 72 hours. According to a study and experiment  - "The Use of Thermal Infra-Red Imaging to Detect Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness" -  performed  by Hani H. Al-Nakhli, Jerrold S. Petrofsky, Michael S. Laymon, and Lee S. Berk. Their observation stated that - 

"This delayed release of myoglobin into the blood, could be due to the muscles slower response to inflammation and damage that occurs in the muscle fibers after exercise 25,26.However, 3 to 5 days later, there can still be minor tissue repair and reconstruction, even though the blood flow maybe close to normal. That's why on the 3rd day we did not see a correlation between skin temperature and soreness levels, because the damage was already done. Therefore, we believe that this is predictive of soreness, because it shows that if you get sustained 24 hours increase in tissue blood flow, then you know that you've got damage to the tissue. This damage was verified by the VAS readings, and the myoglobin concentrations in the blood. Thus, the higher the skin temperature readings 24 hours post exercise, the sorer the subject would be later on."

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is different from the acute muscle soreness that you may experience during or immediately after you finish a fantastic bout of heavy exercise. 

Acute muscle soreness results from an increase in Hydrogen ions that are associated with Lactic acid accumulation or edema that build up of fluid in tissues which is better termed as 'pumped-up' by the body builders.

Lactic Acid is not the Cause of DOMS

You may have read many times that Lactic acid causes DOMS. That is not entirely true. The studies have shown that the Lactic acid (which is thought of to be the cause of DOMS) is produced in the muscles as a result of heavy or strenuous workout where the oxygen supply is depleted. This lactic acid is used as a source of energy or as fuel by the muscles under less oxygen circumstances. This fact busts the popular belief that Lactic acid leads to DOMS. Lactic acid build up lasts in the muscles only for an hour or two after your workout gets over. That puts on your thinking cap for you. DOMS is experienced after 24 to 72 hours and in some cases 48 hours.

Whenever you give a jolt to your muscles and stretch your muscular activity beyond the daily or average workout routine, your muscles are bound to experience wear and tear. That is a simple fact. DOMS is the result of these micro tears or micro fractures in the muscle itself.

AS long as you are following the same routine with the same intensity. The muscle don't engage in the tearing process. Meanwhile you also keep giving recovery time in between your workout bouts. When you continue to do an activity on a regular bases the muscles get quickly adapted to avoid further damage in future. This is repeated bout effect. But when you try to change the pattern and do some more strenuous workout or add on more weights or induce heavy workout. You will experience delayed onset muscle soreness. Micro tears don't happen unless you try to change your activities substantially. Any change which is normally under 10 % of what you daily do, DOMS won't happen.

Scientific Fact for DOMS

What is the technical cause of DOMS? The scientific study has shown that DOMS is caused due to ultra structural disruptions (micro tears) of myofilaments. Specifically tears of the z-disc and substantial damage to the connective tissue. Muscle biopsies taken after a day of hard workout often show the bleeding of the z-band filaments that hold the muscle fibers together. This damage increases the muscle's sensitivity to pain. Simple stretching or walking or climbing stairs become painful and difficult. The delayed effect is because the pain receptors (nociceptors) takes some time to trigger. The inflammatory process takes some time to happen which in turn activates the nociceptors.

You might have noticed that after a heavy intense workout your muscles appear bigger than before. As in case you are experiencing DOMS as well. This pumped-up effect is not that your muscles have grown bigger. Your muscles are swelling as a result of micro tears. This is not a miraculously gained visible muscle mass. That too in just one workout bout.

Post Workout Fatigue

There is no doubt about the fact that pushing your body to the maximum tolerable limits can enhance overall performance. But it benefits your body when the rule is obeyed. Perfect workout will give perfect benefit if you allow your body proper recovery time following your intensive workout. Rest is the key to recover from post workout fatigue.

The glycogen stores and the carbohydrate stores are depleted in the muscles after workout. It is necessary to take proper nutrition to promote proper muscle recovery. You need nutrients, carbohydrates and proteins for effective recovery. Deprived of these the carbohydrate stores deplete in your muscles and liver. The glucose level in blood goes down as a result of this depletion. You can become fatigued the day after workout which can further lead to chronic fatigue and decrease in performance. If you are not consuming enough proteins it can hinder the muscle building and repairing process. This also leads to fatigue.

Sleep for Effective Recovery

Harder you train more important it is to get enough sleep. You have sweat-ed, huff-ed and pump-ed up those muscles. It is time to say goodnight to them too. Muscles don't grow in your training room, they grow while you take rest and sleep. The intensive weight trained muscle damage start its repairing process when the muscles are at rest. Your today session will start its reap tomorrow when you take rest and sleep for at least 8 hours.

The Growth Hormone start its effect after two hours of your sleep. The muscles damaged during your intensive workout session the day before start to repair and rebuild during sleeping hours. If you are sleep deprived, your body will experience lack of energy and fatigue while it tries to repair the damaged muscles. Getting uninterrupted sleep of 7 to 8 hours is very important. You should be properly and completely rested by the time you wake up. So sleep is equally important for effective recovery of muscles and an important step for healthy body building.

For Healthy Workout keep reading Mind2Muscles – Fitness Facts.

Read my last week's Fitness Facts to know about “How does Anabolism and Catabolism effect your workout routine?”

Keep a watch for my next blog coming up next week - “Top 12 ways to overcome DOMS.” 

P.S. I want you to share some of your interesting workout experiences with me. Please comment below and tell me how this article has helped you.

Healthy Workout!