DOMS - Dreaded by Runners- The why, how and what of it....

Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness ( DOMS)

The dreaded thing for a runner, especially when coming back  after an injury. Let us try and understand what this is and how can this be avoided, and if already suffering, then how to overcome it.  Delayed Onset of Muscle soreness happens generally 24-48 hrs after a strenuous exercise/ workout. Most marathoners face it on completion of a race day, where you have given more than your best and achieved a PB. In case of runners, this is also highly probable after a tough strength training session or a tough hill training session. What are the symptoms? Well, you may feel a very slight soreness on the day of exercise after finishing the session and all would seem to be OK. However after 24 hrs, the same pain would have increased two-three fold and you will feel the pain only when you move and not while seated or standing. The most prone areas are the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes for runners, which are jammed after 24 hrs/ 48 hrs and any movement of those muscles causes great pain.  

Why does it happen?

Earlier, it was believed that this is due to lactic acid formation and the inability of the body to remove the acid faster than its formation which caused stiffness and jamming of the muscles. However, this has been proved wrong as the lactic acid is flushed out within one hour of the exercise session/ run  getting over. It is believed that DOMS primarily occurs due to the microscopic tears in the muscles, similar to what body builders face in the gym, when they exercise to build and grow their muscle groups. The muscle actually tears microscopically and repairs and re-builds and grows this way. During this process, there is a bit of  a swelling and pain and it is difficult to continue running. But the question is whether to run or not? For that let us understand the "why does it happen" first:- Contractions ( downhill running) when we do hill repetitions can cause this. Eccentric contraction exercises during strength training can also cause this. 

What should be done when you are suffering from DOMS?

I am writing this out of personal experience and no scientific/ medical evidence whatsoever. When I did a strenuous strength training and developed DOMS in my quadricepses,  I decided to give it rest and did no exercise the second and third day. The third day was extremely painful and I suffered for 5 days before I could begin to jog again. In another event of DOMS, I went for a strenuous hill run and got DOMS in my glutes and hamstrings. This time, I decided to keep massaging and exercising the affected area, I went for a swim the next day, applied relaxant ointment, and iced it three to four times, did specific exercises for that area in the evening of the next day after a proper warming up and I was ready for Slow Long distance run next morning. No trouble at all, just a slight pain in the beginning of the run and as I continued, the pain vanished. I feel it is because of the increase in blood circulation to the affected area due to the activity, which probably clears the histamine and free radicals thus reducing inflammation and giving relief from DOMS. Inactivity and total rest will also heal but will take more time and it is definitely more painful, so the choice is clear for a runner. 

Caution: The exercise should be aerobic and non-strenuous to avoid further damage to the muscle fibres. Always  start the exercise after a proper warming up and stretching both pre and post run.  

Note: I am writing this blog for the benefit of runners like me who searched for a long time in the internet and tried to understand DOMS when I was facing this problem. It would be nice to get feedback from other runners on DOMS and other injuries they faced and how they overcame it.