Muscles get a lot of blame for the pain.
Even in our modern society of ‘health’, we are often led to believe that something is WRONG with our muscles when in fact all we need to do is listen to our body’s ‘pain signal‘ and change what we are doing or the way we are doing it.
Read on and let’s see if we can help put muscle pain into perspective for you.
Why do our muscles feel sore?
Muscles have many ‘sensors’
Muscles have many ‘sensors’ that give the brain information about changes or activity going on in that muscle; be that stretch, tension, or pressure – this doesn’t have to equate to damage.
If something ‘different’ happens to muscles, it will relay this information back to the brain and it may be processed as some form of pain – sharp, dull, throbbing, aching. It’s our body’s inbuilt warning system to tell us to change what we are doing.
Muscles can become ‘deconditioned’ or weak’
Muscles can become ‘deconditioned’ or weak, especially if they are underused. This can happen if we have stopped exercising for a long time, have reduced our general activity or have been bedridden for long periods due to illness or hospitalization. This can give our muscles a feeling of fatigue, heaviness and aching.
Muscles can feel tight
Muscles can feel tight: Sometimes using our muscles in a way they are not used to, staying in one position or in an uncomfortable posture for long periods can make the muscles work harder than necessary. They then fatigue really quickly when we do start moving again and as a result, feel tight. The ‘sensors’ in our muscles will tell the brain, that something is not quite right and pain or discomfort may be felt – this individual experience of discomfort is what we define as ‘tightness‘ or a ‘muscle knot’.
These spots may feel uncomfortable when pressed on, however, massage and other manual therapies can provide some short-term benefits in reducing this – increasing the muscle’s capacity and altering the behaviors associated with movement (or lack thereof if we sit all day!!!) though regular exercise is beneficial for more long-lasting changes in muscle tightness.
Muscles can experience DOMS
Muscles can experience DOMS or delayed onset muscle soreness: This is muscle pain you feel after a high-intensity workout, increased physical activity from normal, or any activity that places unaccustomed loads on muscle. You may feel dull achiness/soreness after 12 to 24 hours.
The pain you feel is Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Perth, which leads to inflammation, swelling, and changes in normal levels of electrolytes and other fluids near the affected muscles. Interestingly, this cycle of exercise-micro-trauma-repair is exactly how our muscles grow and so we can view DOMS as an annoying by-product of getting stronger and more active. Generally, DOMS should not persist beyond a few workouts or at least pain may become more tolerable as we get more used to an exercise program.
