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SALT LAKE CITY — There are many valid excuses not to exercise, and you would think that muscle pain is one of them.
It's hard to get to the gym three times a week when you're still sore from your first workout, but researchers say that may be just what you need to feel better.
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) occurs between 24 and 48 hours after physical activity and can hamper your desire to exercise.
"(DOMS) is a common result of physical activity that stresses the muscle tissue beyond what it is accustomed to," David O. Draper, professor and director of the graduate program in sports medicine/athletic training at Brigham Young University, told WebMD.
But when you're sore from working out, would you rather have a massage or go do some more exercise? The answer is obvious for most people, but according to one new study, exercise is just as effective for relieving sore muscle pain as massage.
"It's a common belief that massage is better, but it isn't better. Massage and exercise had the same benefits," Lars Andersen, the lead author of the study and a professor at the National Research Center for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, told Reuters.
It's a common belief that massage is better, but it isn't better. Massage and exercise had the same benefits.
–Lars Andersen
Andersen and his colleagues did the study on a group of 20 women and found that those that exercised for their sore muscle pain reported slightly more relief than those that had a massage.
Andersen said athletes would notice the slight difference in relief.
"I think that for athletes... by reducing soreness then they're able to perform better, but we didn't measure this. But if you are sore, your movements are very stiff and it's difficult to perform," he said.
Instead of waiting for the pain to go away, Andersen and Draper both recommend exercising through the pain. Andersen is quick to note that the exercise should be light. There are many ways to feel better after a hard work out and here are four easy ways to alleviate your discomfort.
4 ways to soothe sore muscles
1. Stretching
Try a light stretching activity, like yoga. You don't need to be super flexible and you don't need to do it for very long. Even 20 minutes a day of light stretching will help relieve some pain. 2. Light cardio
Don't put too much stress on your joints and try some light cardio, like walking, swimming or the stationary bike. The exercise doesn't need to be intense to provide relief from the pain. 3. Heat it up
If you're too sore to move, try heating your muscles before you exercise. A hot bath or shower, a sauna and a heating pad are all good ways to soothe your sore muscles. 4. Massage
Not everyone has the time or the money to spend on a professional massage, but it has been proven to provide temporary relief for muscles soreness.
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It's important to note that there is a difference between moderate muscle soreness from exercise and muscle pain from overuse or injury. Don't over-exercise or exercise through intense muscle pain.
"If soreness prevents you from performing daily activities associated with living and work, then that is too much soreness," Draper said. "It can psychologically deter someone from continuing a workout program."
Hate the feeling of pain? Soreness also doesn't need to be an indicator that you had a good work out.
"There are all kinds of different little roads that your muscles can take to get stronger," said Carol Torgan, an exercise physiologist and fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.
Your muscles are still improving no matter how you exercise and soreness can even be a motivator for some people.
"Soreness can serve as encouragement in a workout program because people like immediate results. Muscle doesn't visibly (grow) overnight; nor does your time in the mile drop from eight to six minutes," Draper said. "So something like soreness can give people encouragement that they are in fact working the muscle."
