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Muscle Soreness
If you’ve ever participated in athletics, you’ve probably experienced some sore muscles in the beginning stages of training, and as you complained of the aching soreness, were then told you were suffering from lactic acid build up. This was a very common occurrence for many years.
It all dates back to early physiologists who experimented with stimulating frog’s leg muscles to contract with an electric current. After which, they found that the muscle tissues had accumulated large amounts of lactic acid. This lead to athletic trainers believing that hard workouts produced high volumes of lactic acid which then filled the muscles, making them stiff, sore and weak.
However recent research has shed a new light on this matter. Scientists at the University of Aarhus in Denmark have published new research (in The Journal of Physiology) that offers a more in-depth understanding of lactic acid in the muscles.
When scientists examined the effects of lactic acid and adrenaline on the process of signaling contractions in the muscles, they discovered that lactic acid is a fuel for muscles, not a caustic waste product. Muscles produce it from glucose and then burn it up to obtain energy. After delving deeper, research showed that lactic acid and adrenaline help working muscles to defend against potassium ions (which travel from the inside to the outside of working muscle cells) to negatively affect the muscle contraction process. Furthermore, the muscle cells convert glucose (blood sugar) to lactic acid where it is used for fuel by the mitochondria (the place in the cells where energy is produced).
And as for muscle soreness, it turns out that lactic acid is metabolized and gone from the muscles within an hour of exercise. Whereas muscle soreness is something one experiences one to three days following exertion. So what’s really going on?
The correct term for muscle soreness is delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which can cause difficulty in walking, can reduce muscle strength and, generally, make life painful for several days.
When we exercise, muscles are pushed to fatigue, causing microscopic muscle damage to small protein areas of the muscles called myofibrils. This is not a detrimental damage, but rather a natural part of muscle development called anabolism. This microscopic damage results in a swelling and inflammation of the tissue that can accumulate for days following a strong workout.
This swelling in the muscles is caused by an influx of white blood cells, prostaglandins (anti-inflammatory substances) and other biochemicals filling the muscles to repair the "damage."
Dealing With DOMS
This beneficial microscopic damage to muscle fibers must occur before there can be new growth. So when you feel sore, it means growth in muscle strength is not far behind. Here are ways to speed the healing process:
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Research shows using ibuprofen (Advil and all its generic brands) before workouts and soon after workouts will reduce the inflammation and pain considerably. Make sure you have some food or thick liquid in your stomach to prevent irritation.
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Research also shows massage does reduce DOMS by 30% when performed several hours or several days after workout.
- When experiencing DOMS, many people find performing light aerobic exercise for 10-15 minutes, followed by stretching brings relief. If this makes your muscles even sorer, then you need more time to rest and recover.
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Sources: Ibuprofen Blocks Changes - in nav 1.7 and 1.8 sodium channels associated with complete freund's adjuvant–induced inflammation in rat1 The Journal of Pain (Volume 5 , Issue 5 , Pages 270 – 280) A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, and Codeine for Acute Pain Relief in Children With Musculoskeletal TraumaPediatrics (Vol. 119 No. 3 March 2007, pp. 460-467)Comparing NSAIDs National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Drug Effectiveness Review Project (DERP), Oregon Health & Science University December 1, 2007
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