DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is a valuable indicator of building muscles and getting stronger. Every keen bodybuilder or fitness lover has at one point in time or other experienced DOMS. Many questions about its recovery and the causes have arisen from time to time. Still, not all of the answers are available so far. Research is going on nevertheless to help overcome soreness.
DOMS is the muscle soreness that occurs after an intense workout. The period varies from 24 to 72 hours. According to a study and experiment – “The Use of Thermal Infra-Red Imaging to Detect Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)” – performed by Hani H. Al-Nakhli, Jerrold S. Petrofsky, Michael S. Laymon, and Lee S. Berk. Their observation stated that –
Quoted – “The Use of Thermal Infra-Red Imaging to Detect Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)”
“This delayed release of myoglobin into the blood, could be due to the muscles slower response to inflammation and damage that occurs in the muscle fibers after exercise 25,26.However, 3 to 5 days later, there can still be minor tissue repair and reconstruction, even though the blood flow maybe close to normal. That’s why on the 3rd day we did not see a correlation between skin temperature and soreness levels, because the damage was already done. Therefore, we believe that this is predictive of soreness, because it shows that if you get sustained 24 hours increase in tissue blood flow, then you know that you’ve got damage to the tissue. This damage was verified by the VAS readings, and the myoglobin concentrations in the blood. Thus, the higher the skin temperature readings 24 hours post exercise, the sorer the subject would be later on.”
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is different from the acute muscle soreness that you may experience during or immediately after you finish a fantastic bout of heavy exercise.
Acute muscle soreness results from an increase in Hydrogen ions that are associated with Lactic acid accumulation or edema that build-up of fluid in tissues which is better termed as ‘pumped-up’ by the bodybuilders.
Lactic Acid is not the Cause of DOMS
You may have read many times that Lactic acid causes DOMS. That is not entirely true. The studies show that Lactic acid is a result of a heavy or strenuous workout. The cause is a lack of oxygen supply in the muscles. The muscles use lactic acid as a source of energy or as fuel under lesser oxygen circumstances. This fact busts the popular belief that Lactic acid leads to DOMS. Lactic acid build-up lasts in the muscles only for an hour or two after your workout gets over. That puts on your thinking cap for you. You can see the effects of DOMS after 24 to 72 hours and in some cases 48 hours.
Your muscles experience wear and tear, whenever you give a jolt to your muscles and stretch your muscular activity beyond the daily or average workout routines. That is a simple fact. DOMS is the result of these micro-tears or micro-fractures in the muscle itself.
Micro-tears
AS long as you are following the same routine with the same intensity. The muscle doesn’t engage in the tearing process. Meanwhile, you also keep giving recovery time in between your workout bouts. When you continue to do an activity on a regular base, the muscles quickly adapt to avoid further damage in future. This is a repeated bout effect. But when you try to change the pattern and do some more strenuous workout or add on more weights or induce heavy workout. You will experience delayed onset muscle soreness. Micro tears don’t happen unless you try to change your activities substantially. Any change which is normally under 10 % of what you daily do, DOMS won’t happen.
Scientific Fact for DOMS
What is the technical cause of DOMS? The scientific study shows that DOMS is the result of ultrastructural disruptions (microtears) of myofilaments. Specifically tears of the z-disc and substantial damage to the connective tissue. The researchers took the muscle biopsies samples after a day of a hard workout. these samples often show the bleeding of the z-band filaments that hold the muscle fibres together. This damage increases the muscle’s sensitivity to pain. Simple stretching or walking or climbing stairs become painful and difficult. The delayed effect is because the pain receptors (nociceptors) takes some time to trigger. The inflammatory process takes some time to happen which in turn activates the nociceptors.
You might have noticed that after a heavy intense workout your muscles appear bigger than before. As in case you are experiencing DOMS as well. This pumped-up effect is not that your muscles have grown bigger. Your muscles are swelling as a result of micro-tears. You don’t gain visible muscle-volume miraculously. That too in just one workout bout.
Post Workout Fatigue
There is no doubt about the fact that pushing your body to the maximum tolerable limits can enhance overall performance. But it benefits your body when the rule is obeyed. The perfect workout will give perfect benefit if you allow your body proper recovery time following your intensive workout. Rest is the key to recover from post-workout fatigue.
The glycogen stores and the carbohydrate stores are depleted in the muscles after the workout. It is necessary to take proper nutrition to promote proper muscle recovery. You need nutrients, carbohydrates and proteins for effective recovery. Deprived of these the carbohydrate stores deplete in your muscles and liver. The glucose level in the blood goes down as a result of this depletion. You can become fatigued the day after a workout which can further lead to chronic fatigue and decrease in performance. If you are not consuming enough proteins it can hinder the muscle building and repairing process. This also leads to fatigue.
Sleep for Effective Recovery
Harder, you train more important it is to get enough sleep. You have sweat-ed, huff-ed and pump-ed up those muscles. It is time to say goodnight to them too. Muscles don’t grow in your training room, they grow while you take rest and sleep. The intensive weight trained muscle damage to start its repairing process when the muscles are at rest. Your today session will start its reap tomorrow when you take rest and sleep for at least 8 hours.
The Growth Hormone starts its effect after two hours of your sleep. The muscles damaged during your intensive workout session the day before starting to repair and rebuild during sleeping hours. If you are sleep deprived, your body will experience a lack of energy and fatigue while it tries to repair the damaged muscles. Getting uninterrupted sleep of 7 to 8 hours is very important. You should be properly and completely rested by the time you wake up. So sleep is equally important for effective recovery of muscles and an important step for healthy bodybuilding.
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- DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - May 9, 2016
