Muscle soreness is good; muscle pain, not so good

May 2, 2011

As you begin training for the 2011 Bellin Run, it’s important to know the difference between muscle soreness and muscle pain. It could be the difference between a positive Bellin Run experience and a painfully disappointing one.

Roland Schmitt, a licensed athletic trainer at Bellin Health Sports Medicine, offers the following advice for distinguishing between normal muscle soreness and pain:

Every individual is unique and each injury reveals itself differently with each person. Remember, when in doubt, ask a medical professional if your pain is something you can work through or something requiring advanced treatment or precautions. The earlier you get treatment, the quicker your return to activity.

Muscle soreness is the tenderness felt after a strenuous physical training activity. You might feel sore all over after your first few days of training for the Bellin Run. You can let up or modify your activity, but don’t quit. It’s OK to gradually fight through soreness.

Your sore muscles are simply reacting naturally as they protest new movements, re-learn old ones and eventually get stronger. Muscle soreness will not typically increase in intensity when you return to activity, in fact, it usually lessens as you get moving again.  

Conversely, muscle pain is your body’s way of signaling that something is wrong. Pain is specific, often originating from one location on the body. Pain usually is a result of damage to the body’s soft tissues or bones. For instance, the pain will be localized to one side of the knee or right in the heel. Pain can be intense enough to prevent a runner or walker from continuing with training.

Muscle pain can increase in intensity. Don’t try to fight through it. What sometimes starts as a “dull ache” can quickly become a “knife-in-my-leg” feeling. A licensed athletic trainer can guide you through some simple activity modifications and some at-home therapy for injuries.  If the athletic trainer finds symptoms of a significant problem, he or she can refer you to the care of a physician who specializes in the treatment of your injury.

Again, when in doubt, call our free injury hotline at (920) 676-1511.

These tips will help you distinguish between soreness and pain:

Muscle soreness

•    May persist for a few hours or even a few days, but generally will go away
•    Will be reduced with increased training
•    May be eased with a sports massage, rest and Ibuprofen
•    May be less when you warm up properly before training and cool down completely after

Muscle pain

•    Is most often associated with a localized pain, not generalized soreness
•    Can be accompanied by swelling, bruising, redness and tenderness
•    Offers no significant relief after 24 hours
•    Persists even when at rest
•    Can result in partial or complete inability to use the affected area
•    Tends to get worse during or after attempting to exercise