What is DOMS? Can Acu + Bodywork helP?

The American College of Sports Medicine defines Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS, as pain that develops 12-24 hours after exercise with the greatest pain between 24-72 hours after exercise. If you have spent anytime in the gym you have likely experienced this at some point in your life. DOMS can occur when the body is adapting when you are new to exercise or raising the intensity of a workout. Along with high intensity workouts, eccentric exercise has been linked to higher instances of DOMS. Eccentric exercise is when the muscle is tense during lengthening. i.e running down hill puts tension on the quads as they are lengthening and absorbing the impact from the ground. It’s important to note that DOMS occur AFTER the workout. If you are having pain during a workout. If you are having pain during a workout, that is something that should be investigated further to prevent injury. Delayed onset muscle soreness is exactly that…..soreness, but it isn't only that. It can present as tenderness to touch, stiffness and slight swelling. This part of muscle repair. When you are strength training/exercise you are causing tears and breaking down the muscle, as the body repairs the muscle it grows bigger/stronger. Because DOMS is the result of muscle repair, many people have a “no pain, no gain” mentality and believe that soreness after a workout is the sign of a good workout. I don’t subscribe to this line of thinking. It is possible to build muscle with a moderate intensity workout. Unless you are brand new to exercise (and sometimes even if you are brand new) DOMS in my opinion can be a sign the intensity was a little too much. 
Here are some methods I use to prevent DOMS from occuring in the first place:

1. Soft tissue work pre workout. This is generally 5-10 minutes of some foam rolling and mobility work to help prepare the body for exercise. 
2. Active stretching pre workout. Again 5 minutes or so here. Working through some basic stretches opening up some range of motion for full range exercise. 
3. Warmup. Get the body warm and prepared for activity. There are many ways to do this, but the key is to get the body warm before you start the meat of the workout. 
4. Lastly, moderate your workout. If you are new to working out, your body will go through an adaptation period and you are likely to experience some DOMS. As you progress, your body continues to adapt and the DOMS will become less frequent. 
   If you are already regularly working out, avoid major jumps and progression when possible. Calculated moderate progressions in intensity will be less likely to cause DOMS. 

Ok, so you went really hard in the gym and ended up with DOMS, now what? As I mentioned earlier DOMS is the body healing the muscle from the workout, so let’s talk about some good ways to manage that inflammation and recover. I took a course with Kelly Starret and The Ready State and he said something along the lines of there’s no magic bullet to healing, the body heals at the rate of the natural healing process or slower. Basically there is an intervention that will magically heal the body, but there are some that optimize the process rather than slow it down. Here’s a list for recovery. 

1. Keep moving! The body needs to get blood and fluids to that sore area and a great way to do that is with light movement. Active stretching, going for a walk, some gentle yoga. When you activate those muscles they squeeze the circulatory system and keep things moving. 
2. Speaking of fluids…HYDRATE! Water is my go to hear, but coconut water can also help you replenish and keep things flowing smoothly. When you are dehydrated you lose blood volume and will cause your blood to become thicker. Which is not optimal for the healing process. 
3. Another great way to help flush those muscles and keep your blood moving is bodywork. Massage has been shown in studies to improve recovery time. This can be done at home with a foam roller or you can schedule with a professional. If you are doing this as self care at home, I would do this as frequently as necessary. If scheduling with a professional massage therapist, studies suggest 48 hours post workout is the best timeframe. Acupuncture has some studies that show improvement in recovery time and some that show no change. “Tender point” acupuncture seems to be the most effective for this issue. 

These are general measures that can be applied to prevent and recover from DOMS. Please note that DOMS is not the only thing that causes pain post exercise. If you are unsure about your pain or your symptoms do not improve, please reach out to a professional. 
I'm always available for questions. 
Thanks for reading!