dumb question about sore muscles

justlast

at some point yesterday i did something to my left thigh - i'm currently sitting and when i raise my leg past knee level, the muscle on top (quadricep?) aches like crazy. i'm guessing this isn't something that needs a doctor - it doesn't actually HURT, just this deep ache - but i'm wondering if it's still okay for me to jog today? i'd really rather not skip a day, but i don't want to make anything worse if it needs a rest.

sorry if this is, in fact, a dumb question - i'm really new to all of this so i'm hoping somebody more experienced can help me out.

elephant_in_the_room

Deep ache? If it doesn't feel like ordinary soreness, it usually isn't and may well be an injury.
If is is the first day... If you can run without upsetting it, go running. If you can't, leave it. Lookfor an exercise that doesn't make it hurt.
Sleep over it and see how it develops. Maybe you just need to give it a bit of rest.

scottaworley

This happened to me when I started working out.
Are you stretching/warming up properly?
I would let it heal completely before exercising it again - serious injury could set you back months. It's better to take a day or two off than a whole month.

KANGOOJUMPS

a sauna and hot tub do wonders!

justlast

Deep ache? If it doesn't feel like ordinary soreness, it usually isn't and may well be an injury.
If is is the first day... If you can run without upsetting it, go running. If you can't, leave it. Lookfor an exercise that doesn't make it hurt.
Sleep over it and see how it develops. Maybe you just need to give it a bit of rest.

damn. i think i'm going to let it rest for today, if it feels better by tonight i'll just go for a walk or something... get at least a little bit in! thank you for your reply (:

This happened to me when I started working out.
Are you stretching/warming up properly?
I would let it heal completely before exercising it again - serious injury could set you back months. It's better to take a day or two off than a whole month.

i had initially wondered if not stretching right was my problem, but over the last couple of days i've been making a point to stretch/warm up for at least ten minutes (is that not enough? crap).

that's my worry, being set back for a while if this actually is something that i should pay attention to. what did you do when this happened and what caused it, out of curiosity?

justlast

a sauna and hot tub do wonders!

ohh, if only. i do have a hot shower though, that might help!

gpb2430

Ice it! You will be amazed what ice can do! NEVER heat unless a doctor tells you to heat. It can cause more harm.

justlast

Ice it! You will be amazed what ice can do! NEVER heat unless a doctor tells you to heat. It can cause more harm.

just kidding, maybe that shower won't help thank you!

paulperryman

Eat Carbs/Proteins after the workouts too and plenty of water that helps in reducing aches and pains, Aches and Pains are your bodies way of telling you it's in repair mode, as others said if it doesn't feel like just an ache like it actually hurts then you may have damaged something or pulled a muscle and doing the same thing again will just prolong the recovery or make things worse.

Hot bath is better then a hot shower, standing up puts more stress on the muscles

I was jogging on the treadmill the other day and it felt like my quadracept suddenly went pop and had burning across the thigh, and didn't go away for a few hours, so be carefull, luckily i had it checked and had no lasting damage it was just a minor tear but best to not ignore it.

kill3rtofu

I'm guilty of only stretching when I need to and I am fine. Just try to do extra quad stretches and maybe rest your legs for a few days. It's probably delayed onset soreness

scottaworley

Deep ache? If it doesn't feel like ordinary soreness, it usually isn't and may well be an injury.
If is is the first day... If you can run without upsetting it, go running. If you can't, leave it. Lookfor an exercise that doesn't make it hurt.
Sleep over it and see how it develops. Maybe you just need to give it a bit of rest.

damn. i think i'm going to let it rest for today, if it feels better by tonight i'll just go for a walk or something... get at least a little bit in! thank you for your reply (:

This happened to me when I started working out.
Are you stretching/warming up properly?
I would let it heal completely before exercising it again - serious injury could set you back months. It's better to take a day or two off than a whole month.

i had initially wondered if not stretching right was my problem, but over the last couple of days i've been making a point to stretch/warm up for at least ten minutes (is that not enough? crap).

that's my worry, being set back for a while if this actually is something that i should pay attention to. what did you do when this happened and what caused it, out of curiosity?

10 minutes should be enough if you are stretching properly. Google some stretches for runners if you are unsure.
I'm not sure exactly what caused it. I was doing P90X at the time and just kind of started to feel it give out. Then I knew for sure and I had a deep ache. Almost like I pulled something, but I don't think I actually did. I waited 24 hours, and it felt better. I didn't workout that night but did go for a light jog. The next day it was good as new.

recriger

Deep ache? If it doesn't feel like ordinary soreness, it usually isn't and may well be an injury.
If is is the first day... If you can run without upsetting it, go running. If you can't, leave it. Lookfor an exercise that doesn't make it hurt.
Sleep over it and see how it develops. Maybe you just need to give it a bit of rest.

damn. i think i'm going to let it rest for today, if it feels better by tonight i'll just go for a walk or something... get at least a little bit in! thank you for your reply (:

This happened to me when I started working out.
Are you stretching/warming up properly?
I would let it heal completely before exercising it again - serious injury could set you back months. It's better to take a day or two off than a whole month.

i had initially wondered if not stretching right was my problem, but over the last couple of days i've been making a point to stretch/warm up for at least ten minutes (is that not enough? crap).

that's my worry, being set back for a while if this actually is something that i should pay attention to. what did you do when this happened and what caused it, out of curiosity?

I've been reading in several places that the current line of thinking is that static stretches aren't all they used to be. They talk of simply running much slower for the first 1/2-1 mile. Personally I can't do this, I have tried it both ways and I need the stretches. Of course that could be due to the disk and knee damage I've recieved over the years.

I have run with the strain you refer to. This is what I do (not a sports therapist or OT of any kind, I've just hurt myself a lot getting back into shape:). I just spent extra time warming it up. The static stretch is to bend your knee until your heel is touching your rump. Then if you are near a table put your toes on it to use it to hold your foot there as you lean back gently, or grab your foot with your hand and pull it gently.

Then do some body weight squats for a dynamic warm up.

Also for the dynamic, kick your foot back trying to hit your rump with your heel again for 10 sets or so. Mostly for knees, but it will work the muscle you refer too as well.

Finally there is a hip flexor warm up that will hit that muscle as well: Lift your leg in front of you until it is parallel with the floor and your toes are pointing at the wall, then allow it swing behind you in an attempt to get it parallel with the floor and pointing at the wall behind you. Gently at first and work up during the 10 swings. You will obviously not get parallel behind you unless you are rather flexible.

elephant_in_the_room

To my knowledge the current line of thinking is that injuries, including muscle soreness, can be little tears in the muscle, and the last thing you want to do is stretch the muscle to make the tears worse. Also, that there is no evidence at all that pre-exercise stretch will reduce the likelihood of injury.

Warmth (sauna, hot tub. A warm water bottle is a cheap alternative!) increases the blood flow in the muscle, and with increased blood flow it will heal better. Deep tissue work (massage or foam rolling) apparently work, too.

Ice? I have never had that recommendation by a physio or sports doctor. AFAIK it can only alleviate immediate swelling from a sprain or so, it's not a remedy for injured muscles.

scottaworley

To my knowledge the current line of thinking is that injuries, including muscle soreness, can be little tears in the muscle, and the last thing you want to do is stretch the muscle to make the tears worse. Also, that there is no evidence at all that pre-exercise stretch will reduce the likelihood of injury.

Warmth (sauna, hot tub. A warm water bottle is a cheap alternative!) increases the blood flow in the muscle, and with increased blood flow it will heal better. Deep tissue work (massage or foam rolling) apparently work, too.

Ice? I have never had that recommendation by a physio or sports doctor. AFAIK it can only alleviate immediate swelling from a sprain or so, it's not a remedy for injured muscles.

I'd disagree about stretching not decreasing the risk of injury from personal experience, but I have not seen any studies either way.
I know that pitchers ice their shoulders after games, and CJ Wilson recommended that I ice my shoulder after a game one time. He said heat to warm up before the game and ice after to recover. I'm not sure how it would apply to this injury.

wolfgate

Ice is wonderful. Most exercises should use it more often.

Static stretching before exercise slightly weakens the muscles. Should be done after. Several studies support this now.

General rule of thumb for running. If you believe it is muscle (and not tendon or bone) and if you can run without the ache altering your gait or pace, then go for it. If it truly hurts (not aches) or if it is causing you to alter how or how fast you run, stop. If it gets worse as you continue, stop. If it feels worse the next day, take time off. Ice after each run. Like all general rules of thumb there are exceptions, but that will get you through most issues.

tlou5

I have the best luck in preventing post exercise soreness if I stretch after running when the muscles are nice and warm.

bumblebums

a sauna and hot tub do wonders!

ohh, if only. i do have a hot shower though, that might help!

Er, do not apply heat to a soft tissue injury. That will only increase inflammation. Look up "rest, ice, compress, elevate".

Vlad_Taltos

To my knowledge the current line of thinking is that injuries, including muscle soreness, can be little tears in the muscle, and the last thing you want to do is stretch the muscle to make the tears worse. Also, that there is no evidence at all that pre-exercise stretch will reduce the likelihood of injury.

Warmth (sauna, hot tub. A warm water bottle is a cheap alternative!) increases the blood flow in the muscle, and with increased blood flow it will heal better. Deep tissue work (massage or foam rolling) apparently work, too.

Ice? I have never had that recommendation by a physio or sports doctor. AFAIK it can only alleviate immediate swelling from a sprain or so, it's not a remedy for injured muscles.

I'd disagree about stretching not decreasing the risk of injury from personal experience, but I have not seen any studies either way.
I know that pitchers ice their shoulders after games, and CJ Wilson recommended that I ice my shoulder after a game one time. He said heat to warm up before the game and ice after to recover. I'm not sure how it would apply to this injury.

Stretching will help you prevent injury by increasing your flexibility. The more flexible you are, the more tolerant your muscles are, in this point, I totally agree with you.
But, elephant as in point saying the pre-exercise stretching is probably useless, and, as far as I know, it seems to be counter productive. By stretching your muscle, you put the fibres in a certain way that they become less efficient to contract after that and hence, make your work out more difficult and potentially increase the risk of injury.
At least, it's what I've been told by my sport doctor recently, and, for what I've read, it seems quite accurate with the last research.
I've been recommended to warm up, train and, possibly, stretch at the end. But, if the objective is the increase of flexibility, a specific work out is better.

Of course, everyone feels what's best for him, so, if you think stretching before is good for you, go ahead, I'm just saying that lately, scientist are really diminishing the benefits of the pre-work out stretching compare to what it was before.

scottaworley

To my knowledge the current line of thinking is that injuries, including muscle soreness, can be little tears in the muscle, and the last thing you want to do is stretch the muscle to make the tears worse. Also, that there is no evidence at all that pre-exercise stretch will reduce the likelihood of injury.

Warmth (sauna, hot tub. A warm water bottle is a cheap alternative!) increases the blood flow in the muscle, and with increased blood flow it will heal better. Deep tissue work (massage or foam rolling) apparently work, too.

Ice? I have never had that recommendation by a physio or sports doctor. AFAIK it can only alleviate immediate swelling from a sprain or so, it's not a remedy for injured muscles.

I'd disagree about stretching not decreasing the risk of injury from personal experience, but I have not seen any studies either way.
I know that pitchers ice their shoulders after games, and CJ Wilson recommended that I ice my shoulder after a game one time. He said heat to warm up before the game and ice after to recover. I'm not sure how it would apply to this injury.

Stretching will help you prevent injury by increasing your flexibility. The more flexible you are, the more tolerant your muscles are, in this point, I totally agree with you.
But, elephant as in point saying the pre-exercise stretching is probably useless, and, as far as I know, it seems to be counter productive. By stretching your muscle, you put the fibres in a certain way that they become less efficient to contract after that and hence, make your work out more difficult and potentially increase the risk of injury.
At least, it's what I've been told by my sport doctor recently, and, for what I've read, it seems quite accurate with the last research.
I've been recommended to warm up, train and, possibly, stretch at the end. But, if the objective is the increase of flexibility, a specific work out is better.

Of course, everyone feels what's best for him, so, if you think stretching before is good for you, go ahead, I'm just saying that lately, scientist are really diminishing the benefits of the pre-work out stretching compare to what it was before.

Very interesting. I'll have to do some reading on this subject. Good to know I can cut out that preworkout stretch .

LaserMum

Warmth (sauna, hot tub. A warm water bottle is a cheap alternative!) increases the blood flow in the muscle, and with increased blood flow it will heal better. Deep tissue work (massage or foam rolling) apparently work, too.

Ice? I have never had that recommendation by a physio or sports doctor. AFAIK it can only alleviate immediate swelling from a sprain or so, it's not a remedy for injured muscles.

^^^ this!

My daughter is a national sportswoman and coach and this is what she would do. Ice for sprains/swelling, heat for aches. The heat helps the muscle to relax.