Exercise Recovery and Muscle Soreness - Naturopathic Perspectives

We know that exercise is good for us. It helps with our heart health, our blood sugar, our thyroid, our sleep, and our ability to manage stress.[1] It helps with almost everything relating to our health and is probably one of the most important factors for good health, if not the most important. Even though most people realize that, a lack of physical activity is very common. Most of today’s jobs and lifestyles include elements of being sedentary. Life is busy and we have many priorities, and most people feel they don’t have time to exercise.This becomes even more true when you factor in the recommended amount of exercise on an ongoing basis. Most guidelines recommend exercising for 30 minutes, five times per week, at moderate intensity. What does that really mean? First of all, it means you should be exercising almost every day. It means if it takes you time to get ready, to stretch, to shower, then you’re going to be investing a lot more time than you might have initially thought. Moderate intensity means getting your heart rate up usually to 60–80% of maximum (which is often calculated as maximum = 220 minus your age). Another way of describing it is to work up a sweat. Walking regularly is a great form of exercise, but it’s not intense enough. That said, brisk walking would be more appropriate, based on the exercise guidelines.

One of the other large challenges with exercising regularly is injury. It’s not uncommon for people who haven’t exercised in a long time to start exercising and to go too hard too fast. Injury is like a double whammy, because not only do you have to figure out how to heal up (either on your own or with a health-care practitioner), but you almost always have to take time off from the physical activity that caused it. And that means you risk once again falling into the slippery slope of not exercising, or the risk of injuring yourself again at a later time. So it’s obviously a really good investment if you try to prevent injury. Listen to your body: If you experience pain while working out, back off. Stretch properly before and after activity.

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS for short, is exactly what it sounds like. It is pain and stiffness that is felt in the muscles hours to days after intense exercise.[2] It is the opposite of acute muscle soreness, which appears immediately after physical activity. DOMS is commonly felt one to three days after the activity. For example, many people who experience it regularly will tell you that they always feel the most sore two days after their workout. Any kind of exercise is known to damage muscles, but most of the time, the damage is so small or distributed that it is not noticeable. Some of the thinking behind why DOMS occurs is that exercise, especially exercise that involves eccentric movements or lengthening of muscles, causes microtrauma to muscle fibres. This causes the perception of aching pain, which is often most felt if the muscle is stretched or touched, rather than while at rest.

DOMS acts as an added obstacle to regular exercise. Who wants to exercise when it hurts all the time for days after? The good news is that, usually, DOMS improves over time with regular activity and as your fitness gets better. That is, you will probably experience less and less of it over time. The other thing that you can do while actually feeling it is, paradoxically, to exercise! Although it may be uncomfortable, it seems a little exercise while feeling DOMS actually helps recovery, rather than cause more damage. The reason is not exactly clear, but it’s possible that increased blood flow helps to move out waste products and increases the flow of nutrients into the muscles.

Aside from regular exercise, it also makes sense to ensure you are following best practices when it comes to exercise. First, ensuring you are properly fueled before activity. That means consuming adequate calories and consuming carbohydrates, which will be utilized by your muscles during activity. Second, ensuring proper hydration. Drinking water or consuming a fluid with electrolytes during exercise is a must, especially for extended or intense activities. Finally, ensuring proper stretching before and after, in particular, stretching the muscle groups that are involved in the activity.

Kinesio Tape

Kinesio taping is a technique that can be used in the recovery process.[3] A recent study investigated whether applying kinesio tape after DOMS enhanced the recovery of muscle soreness and swelling, and improved physical performance. The participants were 22 healthy amateur male athletes. They performed an exercise protocol that induced DOMS, and the experimenters compared the use of kinesio tape versus no kinesio tape. They measured range of motion, muscle soreness, and muscle swelling at several time points after exercise. They also tested the participants for their balance, their sprinting, and their jumping.

The results of the study showed muscle soreness decreased back to normal after only three days in the kinesio-taping group. Their performance also increased postexercise, as well as their balance. The experimenters concluded that kinesio taping is favourable in the recovery of muscle soreness after DOMS, and that it has beneficial effects on jump performance and on dynamic balance.

Fish-Oil Supplements

Fish oil is a promising supplement to help with DOMS. Fish oil significantly influences glucose and fat metabolism in muscle cells, and it makes the process more flexible. In moderate doses, fish oil appears to beneficially influence bioenergetics through a combination of nutrient uptake and mitochondrial enzymes. Many of fish oil’s antidiabetic effects can be indirectly linked to increased uptake of glucose into the muscle as well as increased insulin sensitivity. Preliminary evidence suggests fish oil may increase hypertrophy. This evidence is promising, but limited.[4] In one study, researchers examined the effects of fish-oil supplementation on the magnitude and time-course of postresistance exercise muscle soreness.[5] The study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. Non–resistance-trained females were randomized into one of two groups: fish-oil supplementation [6  g/d; 5:1 eicosapentaenoic acid to docosahexaenoic acid (EPA:DHA)] or placebo (6 g/d corn/soy oil). After consuming the supplements for one week, participants underwent a single bout of resistance exercise consisting of 10 sets to failure of elbow-flexion and leg-extension machines. Muscle soreness was measured daily over the next week via grounded visual analog scale while participants continued to consume their assigned supplement.

The results showed that the fish-oil group perceived less static and functional muscle soreness than placebo, although the differences were not statistically significant. Effect sizes for resistance exercise–induced static and functional soreness responses were 33 to 42% lower in fish oil versus placebo without changes in upper arm and thigh circumferences. The researchers concluded that supplementing the diet with 6 g/d of fish oil may alleviate muscle soreness experienced after resistance training in young untrained females.

Anti-Inflammatories

Inflammation is an underlying cause of muscle soreness and DOMS. As such, anything that decreases inflammation may provide relief. Individuals may wish to try different anti-inflammatories to see if they experience benefit. Many botanical preparations have anti-inflammatory actions, such as turmeric, boswellia, and myrrh. These preparations can be taken as capsules with the dried herb or in tincture (alcohol-extract) form.

Conclusion

Muscle soreness is a pervasive problem. Not only is it unpleasant to experience, but it also acts as an obstacle to further physical activity, making it a health hazard. DOMS is most commonly felt one to three days after initial activity. Many treatments are available to help reduce the impact of muscle soreness. In this article, we discussed engaging in regular exercise, eating well before and after activity, kinesio tape, fish oil supplements, and the potential use of anti-inflammatories. A combination of these options could make a significant impact to quality of life. As always, please seek the advice of your naturopathic doctor or health-care practitioner.