What is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness?

Delayed muscle soreness (DOMS) refers to the phenomenon of muscle soreness that occurs within a period of time after the body has engaged in a large amount of exercise, especially after starting a new exercise, a change in exercise program, or a sudden increase in exercise intensity. It is a special type of exercise muscle Fatigue may be the basic condition for excessive recovery. Delayed muscle soreness usually occurs at 12 to 24 hours after exercise and peaks at 24 to 48 hours. It can resolve and disappear on its own within 3-7 days. The pain of delayed muscle soreness is different from sudden pain such as muscle strain and sprain. It starts at the distal end of the muscle and spreads to the whole muscle. It does not produce spontaneous chronic pain in the quiet state. Only when the muscle is contracted and stretched Painful sensations are induced by mechanical stimuli such as Zhang or palpation, so delayed muscle soreness is also called tenderness. The effects of delayed muscle soreness on exercise capacity are mainly: reduced joint motion range, restricted, weakened shock absorption capacity, changes in muscle recruitment order and pattern, reduced muscle contraction strength, and tenderness.

Delayed muscle soreness (DOMS) refers to the phenomenon of muscle soreness that occurs within a period of time after the body has engaged in a large amount of exercise, especially after starting a new exercise, a change in exercise program, or a sudden increase in exercise intensity. It is a special type of exercise muscle Fatigue may be the basic condition for excessive recovery. Delayed muscle soreness usually occurs at 12 to 24 hours after exercise and peaks at 24 to 48 hours. It can resolve and disappear on its own within 3-7 days. The pain of delayed muscle soreness is different from sudden pain such as muscle strain and sprain. It starts at the distal end of the muscle and spreads to the whole muscle. It does not produce spontaneous chronic pain in the quiet state. Only when the muscle is contracted and stretched Painful sensations are induced by mechanical stimuli such as Zhang or palpation, so delayed muscle soreness is also called tenderness. The effects of delayed muscle soreness on exercise capacity are mainly: reduced joint motion range, restricted, weakened shock absorption capacity, changes in muscle recruitment order and pattern, reduced muscle contraction strength, and tenderness.

Chinese name

Delayed muscle soreness

Foreign name

delayed onset of muscle soreness

Causes and related symptoms of delayed muscle soreness

(1) It is related to the intensity of training. The greater the intensity, the more prone to soreness.

(2) It is related to age. In the process of physical training, older people are more likely to have muscle soreness.

(3) It is related to the duration of training. The longer the duration, the more severe the soreness, but when the duration reaches a critical point, muscle soreness no longer increases.

(4) It is related to the form of muscle contraction. Eccentric contraction is prone to muscle soreness, while centripetal contraction is not easy to appear.

(5) It is related to the training method. Muscles are prone to soreness when they are not adapting and unfamiliar with the content of the exercises.

The symptoms of DOMS are mainly muscle stiffness. Mild muscles are stiff and will decrease during exercise; severe muscles are swollen with severe pain, and there is tenderness when touching the muscles.

Deveries proposed a four-level evaluation method: No soreness and no effects or symptoms were felt. Mild soreness There is soreness and stiffness when the finger is pressed. moderate sore limbs have symptoms such as soreness and stiffness when flexing and stretching, slightly hindering muscle function. Severe soreness Severe soreness and stiffness can seriously hinder muscle function.

Physiological mechanism of delayed muscle soreness

Delayed muscle soreness mainly has the following theoretical mechanisms: mechanical damage, muscle spasm, inflammatory response and metabolic imbalance.

1.Mechanical loss theory

Based on his observations, Hough proposed the "tissue tear" hypothesis. He believes that muscle soreness after exercise may be caused by tearing of muscle and or connective tissue. Mechanical damage includes damage to cell membranes, connective tissue around cells, and damage to the cytoskeleton. The basis is: (1) less oxygen and energy consumption during centrifugal exercise, but more severe injury and soreness; (2) significantly increased serum myoglobin and phosphokinase content after exercise; (3) under the microscope The fact that muscle fibers are damaged can be seen; (4) the amount of trimethylhistidine and hydroxyproline secretion increased after exercise.

Muscle spasm theory

The "ischemia-spasm" hypothesis believes that exercise causes ischemia of participating muscles, ischemia causes pain, and pain causes muscle fiber spasm, and muscle fiber spasm further aggravates ischemia and forms a vicious cycle. Other studies have shown that electrical activity increases after eccentric muscle contraction, but the magnitude of electrical activity is not related to the degree of soreness. Therefore, nowadays, the theory that DOMS causes spasms or that muscle spasms cause DOMS still needs further experimental confirmation.

3.Inflammatory response theory

The theory of inflammatory response believes that DOMS is a series of inflammatory reactions caused by mechanical injury, and Ca ²⁺ plays a triggering role in the process of muscle soreness. Existing research shows that pain is the main symptom related to tissue damage and inflammation. Pain is usually transmitted through type III and V sensory nerve fibers. The production of pain requires certain inflammatory mediators to participate, and prostaglandin (PGE) is the most important An important inflammatory mediator, increased lysin and Ca2 + concentrations after exercise can stimulate local PGE synthesis and cause soreness.

4.The theory of metabolic imbalance

Muscle tissue ischemia, hypoxia, ATP deficiency, accumulation of metabolites, and oxygen free radicals are the main causes of delayed muscle soreness during exercise. Due to the body's ischemia, hypoxia, and increased energy consumption during exercise, insufficient ATP supply leads to inactivation of the enzyme system, ATP-dependent ion pump function decreases, intracellular Ca ²⁺ , Na ⁺ , and K ⁺ ions are abnormal, and Ca The accumulation of ²⁺ can inhibit mitochondrial respiration, increase anaerobic energy consumption, trigger a vicious cycle, and eventually lead to cell necrosis and delayed muscle soreness.

Prevention and prevention of delayed muscle soreness

1 Delayed muscle soreness 1, prevention

According to the mechanism of delayed muscle soreness, under normal circumstances, regular trainers and non-trainers may produce delayed muscle soreness in various forms of muscle contraction. Therefore, there are the following suggestions:

(1) For those without training. Those without training should conduct a certain basic test or physical fitness assessment. Based on the results of the test or evaluation, a suitable exercise prescription should be specifically formulated, and the principle of gradual progress should be used when guiding the entire training. Warm up before exercise.

(2) For those with training. Those who have a training foundation must formulate a scientific and reasonable training plan and method suitable for themselves when exercising. They must still follow the principle of gradual and progressive warm-up before exercising. The content of training should be diverse and can be carried out with the help of various gadgets. Last but not least, stretching and relaxation exercises after training should be strictly performed.

2 Delayed muscle soreness 2, treatment

(1) Physical therapy

Body exercises. After intense training, the body is tired, and you can continue to do some relaxation exercises, such as some exercises in yoga. heat therapy. Heat therapy can promote the metabolism and reflex response of cells, promote the recovery of connective tissue and blood circulation, increase the ductility of tissues, and improve the range of motion of joints. For ordinary heat therapy, the towel is soaked in hot water and placed on the sore muscles. It should be replaced in time when there is no heat. Apply for more than 15 minutes each time, 2 to 3 times a day. Cold therapy. Cold therapy can reduce body tissue temperature, reduce swelling, shrink blood vessels, and achieve analgesic effects. Commonly used within 24 hours to 48 hours after acute injury. Including cold compresses, ice water massage and other treatments. nerve electrical stimulation therapy. Nerve electrical stimulation therapy mainly uses electrodes to stimulate the motor unit to passively contract muscles. With direct current and induction, place the bipolar on the muscle sore area for 7-10 minutes. Electromagnetic field therapy. ZhangJ et al. Wrapped a double-layer fabric with electromagnetic field characteristics, Farabloc, around the thighs of DOMS subjects for 5 days. The test results show that this therapy can reduce malondialdehyde dehydrogenase, creatine phosphate kinase, myoglobin, and white blood cells in the blood. And neutrophil levels, relieve pain and reduce muscle strength decline. Massage therapy. With kneading, the four fingers are brought together, the thumbs are separated into a pincer shape, the palms and fingers are close to the sore part, the four fingers and the thumb are lifted slightly upwards, and the left and right or up and down rotary movements are performed in the direction opposite to the muscle growth. Massage therapy. Combining professional massage techniques with traditional Chinese medicine can reduce injuries related to the inflammatory process. Ma Jian and others used massage to do flexion, plucking, pushing and rubbing on the flexor muscles of the upper arm in order to improve the elbow movement angle and ease the stiffness of the upper arm muscles, and the serum enzyme LPO decreased significantly. Acupuncture therapy. Acupuncture is one of the methods used by Chinese medicine to treat DOMS, mainly to relax muscles and analgesic. Adopt traditional Chinese medical acupuncture therapy, select the most painful point of the muscle, obliquely acupuncture the needle, do not insert and rotate when leaving the needle, and release the needle when the needle feeling disappears. Scraping and scraping therapy. Compared with massage, the technique is simple and easy to learn, easy to operate, and quick.

(2) Drug treatment

Take anti-inflammatory drugs. Anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce the symptoms of muscle soreness, such as aspirin, flurbiprofen, etc. Taking Vc100mg daily for 30 days can prevent and reduce muscle soreness. Take nutritional supplements. Properly take protein-based nutritional supplements, such as branched chain amino acids, to maintain muscle structure, reduce the symptoms of delayed muscle soreness, and promote physical recovery.