Thigh Pain

MissJazzie14
MissJazzie14 Posts: 60 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello

I have a question that maybe someone can help me out. I had started the squat challenge on Thursday Jan. 2. The first day i did 50 squats. The next morning my thighs hurt soooooooooooo bad. I went to the gym on Jan.3 and i tried to stretch and it was painful. I tired to stretch the best way i could but i gave up cause the pain was too much so i decided to walk on the treadmill and do cardio. When I first got on the treadmill my thighs hurted but soon the pain started to go away. After i walked 2 miles on the treadmill i went to stretch again and it still hurt but not as bad. So i decided to do that day squat which was 55. I got to 10 and now my thighs feel even worse. I can't bend my legs or stretch them out. I have took some ibuprofen to help the pain which didn't work. I even rubbed some ben gay on my legs which didn't work. When i walk on the treadmill I walk with a limp because my thighs hurts so is this normal? I decided to give my body a rest so i didnt go to the gym sat. or today (sun) but I want to resume tomorrow morning because i feel like "blah" since I have not been to the gym but my thighs still hurt. I did some research and found out that if I keep doing squats while in pain it can damage some tissues. How long does the pain last?

Replies

  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    Its called DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and yes, it is normal. It is caused by small tears in the muscle fibers. You need to rest the muscle for a couple days, then ease back into the exercise slowly. The good news is that when the muscle heals, it should be stronger than it was before:) If you are new to squats, don't do so many in the beginning. If 50 put you in this much pain, you might want to lower the reps the next time, then slowly raise them every few days. You also probably shouldn't squat every day. Your muscles need a chance to rest, rebuild and grow.
  • MissJazzie14
    MissJazzie14 Posts: 60 Member
    DancingMoosie,

    Thanks for the info. I think you are right. I think I will do squats on the days i work out my lower body days. This hurts way too much and i just want the pain to stop =(
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    Hey, I'm right there with you. My thighs are killing me from walking lunges with a 25lb plate (on Friday morning). The soreness was actually the worst late last night. It usually peaks within 48 hours, then tapers off. I took off from anything leg-heavy Sat and Sun--only yoga/Pilates and walking yesterday, then some circuit training with pull-ups and push-ups today. Tomorrow I will be back in the gym for some squats and dead lifts:) Ibuprofen helps with the pain...
  • MissJazzie14
    MissJazzie14 Posts: 60 Member
    Ibuprofen worked for a short period of time for me. It eased the pain but not a lot. Today the pain is manageable. I am so looking forward to going back to the gym since I have not been in 2 days but I am scared that I will hurt myself again. I plan on stretching an extra 15 mins since I usually stretch for about 15-20 already and hopefully I will be able to do my squats but not as many =)

Categories