Health and Fitness Information Center

Muscles and Joints, Prevention and Relief

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Prevention
Unfortunately, there is no proven way to prevent delayed-onset muscle soreness. Some people believe that stretching after exercise can help prevent it, but studies have failed to confirm it. (Still, you should not forego stretching since it has other benefits.)

What does work to minimize muscle soreness from unusually hard activity is to do some mild training beforehand. If you plan a hiking trip, do some exercise with an eccentric component - for example, walk down long flights of stairs every day during the preceding week or two.

Relief
Once your muscles are stiff and sore, resting for five to seven days can ease the discomfort. However, "active" rest may be better. Relief from delayed-onset muscle soreness may be best achieved by repeating the activity that caused the soreness at a much lighter intensity.

Did you know?
Liniments and balms are popular, convenient methods for producing a feeling of heat or cold in muscles. But their effect is only superficial - the active ingredients stimulate sensory nerve ending in the skin just enough to produce sensations of heat or cold that may temporarily mask the pain of sore muscles. The massaging action can increase blood flow and help relax muscles But since the heating action isn't real, it does little or nothing to promote healing. Never put a liniment over a wound or cover it with a heating pad or elastic bandage. Severe burning or blistering can result.