Why Muscles Get Sore
Some wonder why muscles get sore. As people
age, they begin to complain more of pains in their muscles and joints. They seem
to stiffen up with age, and such commonplace activities as bending over for the
morning paper can make them wince.
Such pain can grip so fiercely that they are sure it begins deep in their bones.
But the real cause of stiffness and soreness lies not in the joints or bones,
according to research at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, but in the muscles
and connective tissues that move the joints.
The frictional resistance generated by the two rubbing surfaces of bones in the
joints is negligible, even in joints damaged by arthritis.
Flexibility is the medical term used to describe the range of a joint’s motion
from full movement in one direction to full movement in the other. The greater
the range of movement, the more flexible the joint.
If you bend forward at the hips and touch your toes with your fingertips, you
have good flexibility, or range of motion of the hip joints. But can you bend
over easily with a minimal expenditure of energy and force? The exertion
required to flex a joint is just as important as its range of possible motion.
Different factors limit the flexibility and ease of movement in different joints
and muscles. In the elbow and knee, the bony structure itself sets a definite
limit. In other joints, such as the ankle, hip, and back, the soft tissue—muscle
and connective tissue—limit the motion range.
The problem of inflexible joints and muscles is similar to the difficulty of
opening and closing a gate because of a rarely used and rusty hinge that has
become balky.
Hence, if people do not regularly move their muscles and joints through their
full ranges of motion, they lose some of their potential. That is why when these
people will try to move a joint after a long period of inactivity, they feel
pain, and that discourages further use - an explanation why muscles get sore at
first, then worsen over time.
What happens next is that the muscles become shortened with prolonged disuse and
produces spasms and cramps that can be irritating and extremely painful. The
immobilization of muscles, as researchers have demonstrated with laboratory
animals, brings about biochemical changes in the tissue.
However, other factors explain why muscles get sore. Here are some of them:
Why muscles get sore 1: Too much exercise
Have you always believed on the saying, “No pain, no gain?” If you do, then, it
is not so surprising if you have already experienced sore muscles.
The problem with most people is that they exercise too much thinking that it is
the fastest and the surest way to lose weight. Until they ache, they tend to
ignore their muscles and connective tissue, even though they are what quite
literally holds the body together.
Why muscles get sore 2: Aging and inactivity
Connective tissue binds muscle to bone by tendons, binds bone to bone by
ligaments, and covers and unites muscles with sheaths called fasciae. With age,
the tendons, ligaments, and fasciae become less extensible. The tendons, with
their densely packed fibers, are the most difficult to stretch. The easiest are
the fasciae. But if they are not stretched to improve joint mobility, the
fasciae shorten, placing undue pressure on the nerve pathways in the muscle
fasciae. Many aches and pains are the result of nerve impulses traveling along
these pressured pathways.
Why muscles get sore 3: Immobility
Sore muscles or muscle pain can be excruciating, owing to the body’s reaction to
a cramp or ache. In this reaction, called the splinting reflex, the body
automatically immobilizes a sore muscle by making it contract. Thus, a sore
muscle can set off a vicious cycle of pain.
First, an unused muscle becomes sore from exercise or being held in an unusual
position. The body then responds with the splinting reflex, shortening the
connective tissue around the muscle. This cause more pain, and eventually the
whole area is aching. One of the most common sites for this problem is the lower
back.
Why muscles get sore 4: Spasm theory
In the physiology laboratory at the University of Southern California, some
people have set out to learn more about this cycle of pain.
Using some device, they measured electrical activity in the muscles. The
researchers knew that normal, well-relaxed muscles produce no electrical
activity, whereas, muscles that are not fully relaxed show considerable
activity.
In one experiment, the researchers measured these electrical signals in the
muscles of persons with athletic injuries, first with the muscle immobilized,
and then, after the muscle had been stretched.
In almost every case, exercises that stretched or lengthened the muscle
diminished electrical activity and relieved pain, either totally or partially.
These experiments led to the “spasm theory,” an explanation of the development
and persistence of muscle pain in the absence of any obvious cause, such as
traumatic injury.
According to this theory, a muscle that is overworked or used in a strange
position becomes fatigued and as a result, sore muscles.
Hence, it is extremely important to know the limitations and capacity of the
muscles in order to avoid sore muscles. This goes to show that there is no truth
in the saying, “No pain, no gain.” What matters most is on how people stay fit
by exercising regularly at a normal range than once rarely but on a rigid
routine.
Richard Dowell,
http://Best-Fitness-Program.com
Helping You Find Your Own Fitness Program
Permission granted to copy/reprint
this article so long as the author's credit and website link are
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