Post Gym Workout Pain

Do you have pain after your Gym workout?

You may be experiencing Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

DOMS are caused by muscle fibre tears (Don’t worry – that’s normal). This often occurs when you exercise for the first time, or when you exercise past what your muscles are used to. This can also occur after excessive or unaccustomed exercise. This results in an inflammatory response, swelling and pain impairing the normal function of the muscle.

The symptoms of DOMS develop 24 to 48 hours after exercising and is localised to the muscles leading to muscle tightness and tenderness. But the good news is once you start stretching and moving your muscles, they will start to feel less sore.

So what should you do to treat DOMS?

DOMS should be treated with active rest, and gentle stretches. You should avoid excessive muscle stretching and exercises while the muscle is coming out of the painful stage.

The good news is that DOMS gradually subside within one to three days. Slowly build-up the amount of exercise in your program and ensure you thoroughly cool down after your workout with stretches or cardio. However, if one of the following applies to you it is best to seek advice from our physiotherapists.

• The pain is still present and not resolving more than 48 hours post-exercise.
  The pain came on during the exercise (not the day after) and was more sudden in onset.
  The pain is located in and around the joints and not just limited to muscles.
  There is swelling and discomfort in and around the joints.

For more information on how we can further assist you, please call our clinic number on 0479 080 800 or send us an email on [email protected].

Our Physiotherapists are Medicare, NDIS, DVA and Work Cover approved, specializing in injury management and rehabilitation to get you back to full function.