Post exercise muscle soreness (DOMS)

Please remember the advice we give is general and not meant to be used as a substitute for professional medical or health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you want specific advice then please seek help from your doctor or local physio.

Muscle soreness is a common experience following resistance training, especially when starting out or resuming resistance training after a long break. In fact, it is almost unavoidable. This phenomenon of pain in the days following exercise is known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS.

It's important to remember that whilst it can be incredibly unpleasant, DOMS is NOT a sign of injury or something to worry about. Here is a video to explain this further.

How to tell if your pain is DOMS

Here are some of the hallmark signs of DOMS:

• Muscle that starts the day or two following exercise.
• Stiffness and restriction in activities like sitting down in a chair or bending over to pick something up.
• Pain that lasts several days up to about a week.

How to manage DOMS

• Continue your exercise program as tolerated. You may need to reduce weight or range of motion to allow this. For more information on how to modify exercises, check out our article what can I do if an exercise is painful?
  
• You might get some relief from hot or cold packs or a warm shower, but quite often the best approach is regular movement.

Summary

Muscle soreness after undertaking new exercise is very common, and nothing to worry about.