Feeling sore after a workout? Could it be an injury?

Everyone’s experienced that post workout feeling of “Wow! Definitely got a good workout in today”. Or maybe you have experienced DOMS or “delayed onset muscle soreness” where your extremely sore and tight for a couple days after a rigorous workout. How can you tell if you have an actual injury vs. just feeling sore after a workout?

Most people have experienced DOMS or “delayed onset muscles soreness” which comes on within the next 48 hours after a hard workout and can last for up to five days. DOMS is caused by very tiny “microtears” that happen in muscle tissue in response to stress’s that it hasn’t experienced before.  Typically, DOMS last at most 5 days and isn’t activity restricting in nature. As well DOMS will not generally require treatment from a healthcare professional and is self resolving, but what if the pain lingers for more than say 2 weeks?

It can be difficult to understand when you do indeed have an injury that needs treatment aside from ice, rest, and some time. One of the major indicators that you have sustained an injury is the loss of function. Say after you go in for a slide tackle in soccer and after you have challenging time putting weight on the involved foot, or you can’t bend it at all, this is a very good indication you need an assessment from a healthcare

specialist. If you sustain a bruise to your thigh during a sporting event, and then 2 weeks later you still have a lump or pain on that same spot, this would be another example of something that you should have assessed.

It can be difficult to decide whether you need treatment or not.  This is what your experts at ProActive Health Group are here for and this is a great example of when we can help.

If you’re unsure and want to stay active and in your best optimal health, please give us a call at the clinic to set up an appointment with one of our sports specialists:  403-225-3842.