Why do my muscles hurt after exercise?

While many of us go to the gym or go for a run to recover from this difficult season, You may feel a little more pain in the muscles. This is especially true if it’s been a while between workouts.

A common misconception is that this pain is caused by a build-up of lactic acid in the muscles. However, Research shows that lactic acid is not It has nothing to do with it , The truth is much more interesting, but also a little more complicated.

We’ve known for decades that lactic acid has nothing to do with muscle soreness after exercise.

In fact, as one of us (Robert Andrew Roberts) has long argued, The cells produce lactate, not lactic acid. This process does not actually combat the buildup of acid in the muscles and bloodstream.

unfortunately, Historical inertia means people still use the term “lactic acid” in relation to exercise.

Lactate doesn’t cause any major problems for your muscles when you exercise. I would probably be much worse Without it because of other benefits for working muscles.

lactate is not the cause Pain occurs when exercising a few days after gaining weight or after a long break.

So if it’s not lactic acid or lactate, What causes so much muscle pain?

Many chemical reactions occur in muscle cells when you exercise. All of these chemical reactions accumulate products and byproducts that cause water to enter the cells.

that makes Increase pressure within and between muscle cells.

This pressure, coupled with the movement of molecules in the muscle cells, can stimulate nerve endings and cause inconvenience During exercise.

The pain and discomfort you sometimes feel hours or days after an unfamiliar type or amount of exercise has a varied list of causes.

If you exercise beyond your normal level or routine, it may cause microdamage. For their connections with your muscles and tendons. Such damage causes the release of ions and other molecules from the muscle, causing local inflammation and stimulation of nerve endings.

This is sometimes known as “delayed onset muscle soreness” or DOMS.

While damage occurs during exercise, The resulting reaction to the injury develops over the next one to two days. (For longer periods if the damage is severe). Sometimes this can cause pain and difficulty in normal movement.

The research is clear: The problem of late onset muscle soreness has nothing to do with lactate one of two lactic acid ,

However, the good news is that your muscles quickly adapt to the activity that would initially cause delayed onset muscle soreness.

So, assuming you don’t wait too long (more than about two weeks) before becoming active again, there will be much less damage and discomfort the next time you do the same activity.

If you have an exercise goal (like going on a particular hike or completing a half marathon), Make sure it’s realistic and something you can achieve over several months of training.

This type of training will gradually develop the muscular adaptations needed to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness. And with less wasted time from exercise, it becomes more enjoyable and easier to stick to a routine or habit.

Finally, eliminate “lactic acid” from your exercise vocabulary. Its alleged role in muscle pain is a myth that has existed for a very long time.

,robert andrew robertsAssociate Professor – Exercise Physiology, Queensland University of Technology

,Samuel L. TorrancePhD Candidate, Queensland University of Technology