Have you ever exercised or done a physical activity like working in a garden, and then the next day your muscles felt really sore? I know I have 
When this happens it is called “Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).”
Doctors used to think this muscle soreness was due to lactic acid buildup, but now scientists have proven that isn’t true. So what causes the muscle soreness?
When you do a physical activity longer or harder than usual, you put in motion an inflammatory response that releases chemicals that sensitize nerve endings, and in time these nerves send messages to the brain that say, “Ouch!”
So if you exercise or do a physical activity and you get the delayed muscle soreness, you can always apply ice to the areas where you are the sorest. Ice therapy is a natural anti-inflammatory and will help combat the inflammation. Put the ice on your body for 15 to 20 minutes and then take it off. Make sure you have something thin between the ice and your skin, like a t-shirt or paper towel.
Here’s another myth for you…the warm up, cool down myth.
There is a chronic confusion concerning the need to warm up and cool down as a way to prevent injury to your muscles. Stretching is the usual approach to warming up, but it doesn’t prevent injury like people think it does.
A warm up is definitely required because cold muscles are vulnerable to injury, but stretching is not the way to do it. The best way to warm up is to do a brief cardiovascular spurt with low resistance. Examples of this would be walking briskly on a treadmill (or outside) or riding the exercise bike for a few minutes. You want to do anything that brings blood to your muscles, increases your body temperature, and revs up your metabolism.
The cool down is the reverse of the body changes you are trying to make with the warm up. Just continue your exercise, but slow down the pace. Stretching after your exercise will not prevent sore muscles, but it will increase your flexibility and may speed recovery time.
I hope this was helpful. Have a great day and we’ll talk soon.
Helping your reach your Vibrant Potential,
Dr. Chris Frykman
Shakopee, MN.