Best Ways to Reduce Muscle Soreness After Exercise
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Introduction
We’ve all felt it—that deep ache in your muscles a day or two after a tough workout. This is called delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. It usually shows up 24 to 72 hours after exercise, especially if your workout was intense or involved new movements. While it’s a normal part of training, it can make daily tasks and future workouts uncomfortable. Luckily, certain physical therapies may help reduce the pain and speed up recovery.
What Causes DOMS?
DOMS is caused by tiny tears in the muscles from unfamiliar or intense exercise. It’s especially common after eccentric movements—where muscles lengthen under tension, like during downhill runs or lowering a weight. The soreness is linked to inflammation and changes in muscle tissue, not lactic acid, as many people think.
Effective Ways to Ease Soreness
A recent review looked at a wide range of therapies used by physiotherapists to manage muscle soreness. The review covered 29 different summaries of clinical trials and identified which methods actually help.
Here are some of the most helpful ones:
- Massage Therapy: Massages were found to reduce pain the most around 24 hours after exercise. It helps increase blood flow and relax tight muscles.
- Contrast Therapy: This involves switching between hot and cold water. It was shown to be effective right after exercise and up to 48 hours later.
- Cooling Therapy: Ice baths or cold compresses can help, especially when used soon after exercise. They reduce inflammation and muscle temperature.
- Cryostimulation: A more intense cold treatment, often done in special chambers, also showed good results up to 48 hours after workouts.
- Phototherapy and Heat Therapy: These treatments use light or heat to promote healing. They showed strong pain relief around 48 to 72 hours after exercise.
- Kinesiotaping and Compression: These methods may offer moderate relief, particularly after two or more days.
What Didn’t Work Well
Some common approaches like stretching and light exercise did not significantly reduce muscle soreness. While these can help with flexibility and movement, they’re not reliable for reducing pain from DOMS.
How to Use These Therapies
Most of these treatments are safe and can be added to your post-workout routine. Massage or contrast showers are easy options. If you have access to more advanced methods like cryotherapy or phototherapy, those may offer added benefits. It’s also important to listen to your body—don’t push through soreness with high-intensity exercise.
Conclusion
DOMS is a normal part of getting stronger, but it doesn’t have to slow you down. With the right recovery tools—like massage, cold therapy, or contrast treatments—you can ease the pain and get back to training sooner. While some popular remedies don’t offer much relief, a few proven methods can make your post-exercise recovery smoother and more comfortable.