LIFE+ Blog

Are you hoping to go to the gym more often, but the fear of injury & workout soreness prevents you from going?

Some soreness after a workout is good and indicates that the body is getting stronger. Yet, other pain can indicate that the body is injured. Learning how the difference between good & bad types of soreness (and how to prevent it) will be important so you can get to the gym and keep exercising.

Healthy Soreness

• Occurs during the first 24 hours after a workout and can last up to 48 hours afterwards.
• This is very mild soreness and should not affect your ability to move.
• This soreness should also only occur when you move the affected part of your body and relieve when you rest.
• This is a natural process the body goes through in order to get stronger.

Unhealthy Soreness

• More severe pain and lasts longer than 48 hours.
• This type of soreness prevents you from moving normally and does not relieve when you rest.
• This type may also show signs of inflammation, such as redness, warmth, throbbing, and swelling. It may even wake you up when you sleep.

In order to prevent the bad type of soreness follow the following steps:

• See you doctor before starting a workout program
• Begin slowly. Scale back, use resistance that is easily controlled and that you can perform without straining.
• See a physical therapist before beginning an exercise program to learn how to perform each exercise correctly.
• Use proper warm up and cool down after exercising (see Ruth’s blog for proper stretching for runners!)
• Ice and massage the area you exercised after your workout
• Perform gentle stretching and range of motion exercises after your workout

• Always drink plenty of water both before, during, and after a workout (it also prevents fatigue!)
• Take anti-inflammatory medication recommended by your doctor.

If you’d like to come in to see a physical therapist and get started with an exercise program, just fill out the form below! We’d be thrilled to help you exercise pain free.

Schedule a free assessment with one of our expert physical therapists to begin your exercise program today!