For years, it was widely believed that Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the tenderness and loss of strength that peaks 24 to 72 hours after extreme exertion, was an unfortunate byproduct of lactic acid buildup. And for years, the connection appeared to make sense: lactic acid buildup does cause the intense burning sensation that is sometimes felt during exercise, so if the bio-chemical consequence was responsible for one kind of pain, why not blame it for others? Unfortunately, as this article in the Scientific American reports, the real cause of DOMS remains somewhat mysterious.
One thing that has become apparent is that the type of of exercise is key factor in the development of
DOMS. The Scientific American offers this helpful explanation:
"When a muscle lengthens against a load–imagine your flexed arms
attempting to catch a thousand pound weight–the muscle contraction is
said to be eccentric. In other words, the muscle is actively
contracting, attempting to shorten its length, but it is failing. These
eccentric contractions have been shown to result in more muscle cell
damage than is seen with typical concentric contractions, in which a
muscle successfully shortens during contraction against a load. Thus,
exercises that involve many eccentric contractions, such as downhill
running, will result in the most severe DOMS, even without any
noticeable burning sensations in the muscles during the event."
The next question: "What should we do to relieve the pain?" is, sadly, not easily answered. Sciam warns us that "anti-inflammatory drugs do appear to reduce the muscle
soreness–a good thing–but they may slow the ability of the muscle to
repair the damage, which may have negative consequences for muscle
function in the weeks following the strenuous event." Read more in the Scientific American.
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I get alot of DOMS and seem to always suffer with it if i have stopped exercising for a few months and then return to doing weights. I have heard that some body builders actually use the eceentric motion to help build more muscle mass! Ouch it is painful though!