(NAPSI)—According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to stay healthy, adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as brisk walking every week, as well as muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week that work all major muscle groups.
Fortunately, you don’t have to let a few aches and pains put you off your exercise routine. According to Dr. Jonathan Folland, an expert in neuromuscular physiology from Britain’s Loughborough University, many people, whatever their fitness level, experience muscle pain a day or two after exercising.
What Is DOMS?
DOMS, also known as delayed onset muscle soreness, is perfectly normal, doesn’t last long, and may even be a sign of your improving fitness. DOMS can occur when you start a new exercise, change your routine, or increase the duration or intensity of your regular workout. It typically lasts three to five days and the discomfort, which can range from mild to severe, usually occurs one or two days after the exercise.
What Causes DOMS?
When muscles are asked to work harder than they are used to, or in a different way, it can cause microscopic damage to the muscle fibers, resulting in muscle soreness or stiffness. The good news is that the pain will decrease as your muscles get used to the new physical demands being placed upon them. The soreness is simply part of an adaptation process that leads to greater stamina and strength as the muscles recover and build.
How to Avoid DOMS
One of the best ways to prevent DOMS is to start any new activity gently and gradually. Allowing your muscles time to adapt to new movements should help minimize the soreness.
What to Do About DOMS
DOMS does not generally require medical intervention. Over-the-counter pain relievers should do the trick. Many people with DOMS or other mild pain may be excited to learn that Salonpas, the manufacturer of the popular Salonpas Lidocaine 4% Pain Relieving Gel-Patch, has just launched two new Lidocaine products. The Salonpas Lidocaine Plus Pain Relieving Cream and Salonpas Lidocaine Plus Pain Relieving Liquid (with a convenient roll-on applicator) both contain two powerful anesthetics: long-lasting lidocaine and fast-acting benzyl alcohol. Together, these ingredients desensitize aggravated nerves for temporary relief of back, neck, shoulder, knee and elbow pain. All three Salonpas Lidocaine products contain 4% lidocaine, which is the maximum amount of lidocaine available without a prescription.
Doctor’s Advice
“I have been using the new Salonpas Lidocaine Plus products to address knee and elbow pain after my rigorous workouts and found that the cream and liquid worked effectively,” said award-winning journalist Dr. Bob Arnot, M.D., internal medicine, who is an author of 12 books on nutrition and health, host of the “Dr. Danger” reality TV series, and previously Chief Medical Correspondent for NBC and CBS News, and Chief Foreign Correspondent for MSNBC and NBC. As a Paddleboard World Championship award winner, Dr. Arnot knows about the aches and pains of athletics.