DOMS- Does it ever go away?

kramalicious

MY STORY : Just got over the worst case of it I have ever had in my life. Had a little over a month off due to flu and then death in the family. I did some weights and a few bodyweight workouts on my own, nothing as intense as I'd been doing.

The day I went back, I worked with the trainer that day and was an animal! LOL Didn't even get my usual burn from lots of stairs or from anything. I thought, "hmm, maybe I am in better shape than I thought." NO.

The next day I did Zumba, and after about half a day, my quads hurt so bad I could hardly walk, like they were cramped up. And that's my strongest part, the one I love to exercise the most. OMG it was painful to touch them. My dog laid his head on my legs and I yelped out loud!

The day after that, (day #2 post killer workout) I went in and did 5 minutes walk, 10 minutes light bike, stretch, and then repeated. Then did an incredibly painful foam roller attempt to help it.

The next day I rested. That night I got out my percussive massager that my vet has used on horses, and cranked that baby up. It hurt like hades, but I worked the quad muscles over and over, each section, slowly. I swear they felt crunchy.( I had been taking advil as often as possible during these days.)

Finally the next day (Day #4 Post workout) the pain was just gone.

If you are reading this because you have it, I do think that time, rest, NSAIDS, and massage will help, but nothing brought immediate relief.

Massage came closest. And the massage is going to hurt like a mother while it is going on, but do it earlier in the process than I did. Epsom salt and hot water soaks weren't much help , other than the hot soaks and showers were a distraction.

I don't know what to say to people who claim they enjoy this. I don't mind some post workout soreness the next day, even some stiffness, but this was just BEYOND.

Next time I would just pay for the massage right away to hopefully head off the worst of it. Hope This Helps someone else who suffers this!

dj8052

Hello, all these are good and funny answers. Here is some advice on doms, it does go away. If you are using weights, leg day is the absolute worst. I still get it up to 5 days after but results are always promising. Fitness has become like a hobby to me and is a way of life so pain and soreness are part of the game. Some tips to help alleviate some of the pain i suggest are drinking at least 8 cups of water a day to keep your muscles hydrated and flushed of lactic acid from strenuous workouts, purchasing a muscle stick (on amazon), dynamic stretching and some form of warm ups before a workout, and a slow walk 15-20 mins for the first two days after before doms really sets in. Hope this helps and best of luck in your goals.

leomentlines

I love getting DOMS.. Its a sign that I really challenged myself versus 'just showing up

It will get easier, anytime I've gone off the wagon and had to reintroduce exercise, its always much worse than normal.