This is known as acute soreness. You may feel them ache or tighten up about 12 hours after you exercise. In some cases, the discomfort may peak 48 to 72 hours afterward. This is called delayed-onset muscle soreness.

During this time, your muscles repair and strengthen themselves. Sore muscle pain can improve quickly or last several days.

There are some things you can do to help lessen the amount of soreness. Sore muscles are normal. They grow back strong and are able to work at a higher level of intensity for a longer time. Pain closer to the joint may be a signal of a more serious injury.

American College of Sports Medicine: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Last Updated: June 9, This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.

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To help relieve muscle soreness, try: Gentle stretching. Muscle massage. Ice to help reduce inflammation. Aim to score at least seven hours of sleep, as recommended by the Sleep Foundation. RELATED: How Much Sleep Do You Really Need Each Night?

Try to get some gentle movement through activities like restorative yoga; an easy walk, swim, or cycle; or even light resistance training. The key is to avoid doing another intense workout using the same muscle groups on consecutive days.

On an effort scale of 0 to 10 where 10 is maximum intensity , aim for an effort level of 3, Schroeder says. You want to get blood moving to the sore muscles to deliver oxygen and nutrients needed for repair — without causing more damage to the muscle tissues.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Low-Intensity Steady-State LISS Cardio. Though you may be tempted to pop a painkiller and call it a day, Arent warns that in doing so you may sacrifice key parts of the muscle-rebuilding process.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs like ibuprofen Advil and naproxen Aleve may ease pain associated with muscle soreness, but they may also prevent your muscles from growing back bigger and stronger. A small study found that taking the maximum dosage of over-the-counter ibuprofen stalled progress during an eight-week resistance training program geared toward building muscle and strength in young adults.

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

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By Lauren Bedosky. Medically Reviewed. Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN of American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Here is how to relieve the pain and get back to your routine faster. Next up video playing in 10 seconds.

Sore muscles are one of the less pleasant side effects of exercise. Depending on the type and intensity of the workout, muscle soreness after a workout can range from barely noticeable to extremely painful.

Why Do Our Muscles Get Sore in the First Place? RELATED: The Best Exercises for Stronger Abs And you probably want the soreness to go away so you can get back to moving and living pain-free. During and After Your Workout: Hydrate It might sound obvious, but staying hydrated is an important aspect of muscle recovery.

Immediately After Your Workout, Use a Foam Roller Self-Myofascial Release or Massage Gun Self-myofascial release SMR is a technique used to release tension in muscles and connective tissues foam rollers, lacrosse balls, and massage sticks are common SMR tools , helping to move the fluids that accumulate in the muscle after exercise.

RELATED: The Best Exercises for a Stronger Back 3. Eat Within a Half Hour After an Intense Workout By feeding your muscles the nutrients they need to repair and grow back stronger, you may be able to speed up the recovery process, Arent says.

RELATED: What to Eat Before, During, and After Your Workout 4. RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Low-Intensity Steady-State LISS Cardio 6.

You May Want to Steer Clear of NSAIDs Though you may be tempted to pop a painkiller and call it a day, Arent warns that in doing so you may sacrifice key parts of the muscle-rebuilding process. Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking.

Resources ACSM Information on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness DOMS [PDF]. American College of Sports Medicine. Hody S, et al. Eccentric Muscle Contractions: Risks and Benefits. Frontiers in Physiology. May 3, Instead, opt for dynamic stretching where you repeatedly move your muscles and joints.

Walking lunges and arm circles are great places to start. Dynamic stretching prepares your body by increasing your heart rate, improving blood flow, and improving your flexibility.

It can also help keep blood flowing to the exercised muscles, which can aid the repair process and potentially improve delayed onset muscle soreness. Cool down by walking or riding a stationary bike for 5 or 10 minutes.

Muscle soreness happens to beginners and conditioned athletes. You may still feel the burn of acute muscle soreness from exercise, but DOMS will improve as time goes on and your body adapts to your workouts. Being mindful of your body and workouts is the best way to prevent future soreness and get the most from exercise.

Prepare your body for exercise by getting in an adequate warmup and cool down every time. Learn proper form and stick to a routine that gradually increases in intensity and duration to lessen soreness and reduce your risk of injury.

Moderate doses of caffeine may cut your post-workout pain down by almost 50 percent , so go ahead and have a cup of coffee before your workout.

Just remember to hydrate with water afterward. Staying hydrated can also help reduce muscle soreness. However, you should see your doctor if your pain lasts more than a week or keeps coming back, or if you experience extreme weakness, dizziness, or trouble breathing.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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Hydration for Athletes. Exercise and Seniors. Nutrition for Athletes. The Exercise Habit. Why Exercise? Exercise: How To Get Started. Home Prevention and Wellness Exercise and Fitness Exercise Basics Sore Muscles from Exercise. Path to improved health Your muscles may get sore right away.

To help relieve muscle soreness, try: Gentle stretching. Muscle massage. Ice to help reduce inflammation. Heat to help increase blood flow to your muscles. Even a warm bath or shower can help.

Over-the-counter OTC pain medicine, such as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSAID like ibuprofen brand name: Advil. OTC creams and gels brand names: IcyHot and Aspercreme that contain menthol or capsaicin can ease muscle soreness.

Warm up. Studies show that warming up your muscles before exercise may be better than stretching them. It wakes up your muscles by increasing blood flow to them. To warm up, do light versions of certain exercises. These include slow jogging or biking, jumping rope, or lifting light weights.

Drink water. Water helps control your body temperature, loosen your joints, and transport nutrients to create energy. Without water, your body will struggle to perform at its highest level. You may have muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness, or more serious symptoms.

Limited rest. Wait about 48 hours before working the same muscle groups in the same way with the same intensity or for as long. Limited or lighter exercise of the same muscles can actually help. Features Best sellers 4.

New 4. On the Go 3. Dye Free 4. Age Infants 3. Children 9. Adults View All Products Sinus 5. Arthritis Pain 1. Ear Pain 1. Form Externals 2. Liquid Chewable 1. Pill Liquid Gel 1. Dissolve Pack 2. Smart Device SmartCheck 1. More severe muscle pain accompanied by swelling and restricted movement or bruising may mean that muscles, tendons or ligaments have been torn or damaged, for example, sprains or strains.

This type of muscle pain usually starts during, rather than after, exercise. You should seek help from a doctor or physiotherapist if you have severe muscle pain. Sometimes muscle aches and pains are related to medical conditions such as influenza or fibromyalgia.

In these cases, the muscle pain may be widespread throughout the body, not limited to one muscle or muscle group. Muscle aches and pains that are due to illness are also usually accompanied by additional symptoms. Widespread sore muscles may also be caused by certain medicines, including statins cholesterol-lowering medicines and ACE inhibitors used to treat high blood pressure.

Delayed onset muscle soreness, known as DOMS, is different from normal muscle soreness that develops during or after an activity. Delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS is muscle pain and stiffness that usually starts hours after the activity, with the most pain happening 24 hours after and it can last for 3 to 5 days after the activity that caused it.

DOMS is thought to be related to damage and microscopic tears in the muscle fibres, that result from exercise that stresses the muscle tissue beyond what it is used to. Symptoms can range from mild to severe, depending on the force applied to the muscle and the duration or number or repetitions of the activity.

DOMS is often accompanied by swelling and tenderness of the affected muscle s , stiffness and weakness of the muscle. Exercises that tend to cause DOMS most frequently include those that involve movements where muscles lengthen while force is applied — known as eccentric muscle actions.

Examples of these types of exercises include downhill jogging or running, walking down stairs, descending hills and mountains, and strength training, especially lowering weights.

DOMS can result from taking part in a new physical activity or training harder than usual.