Does exercise leave you walking like John Wayne?

Hope you are good and fighting fit.

Talking of fit, who has been following the Tour de France?  How the hell do they get up those mountains for a start?  And they do this for 21 days!! Last week my legs were wobbly & sore after returning to a conditioning class I'd avoided for 5 weeks due to foot/ankle pain.  Admittedly, it was a tough class, but I like to think I'm pretty fit but I was left walking like John Wayne for 2 days.

How do the riders on the tour avoid the lip biting, painfully sore leg syndrome known as the DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness)?  Doms is a symptom of exercise induced muscle damage or as my mother calls it "doing too much again"!

This dull aching pain in the muscle is accompanied by tenderness and stiffness of the affected muscles.  The intensity of soreness intensifies during the first 24 hours after exercise, reaching it's peak up to 72 hours then gradually declines over the next 7 days.  So for these riders to go at it for almost 3 weeks, they must be super fit and have some talented physios and therapists around them to keep them going.

A common myth is that a build up of lactic acid in the muscles causes the soreness and pain.  Research has shown that tiny lesions in muscle fibres are the basis of DOMS, which in turn prohibits the movement of CALCIUM through muscle. This build up of calcium results in the body releasing substances that break down muscle protein. This causes inflammation and pain due to an accumulation of histamines and potassium.

In an ideal world, we'd gradually build ourselves up to do exercise, doing a bit more each time, but what if you're on holiday and go for a long walk or hike?  It's a nice Sunday afternoon and you go for a long bike ride?  Even spending alot of time in the garden in one go can result in a total body failure the next morning as you seize up.  What can you do?  Give me a call is the right answer, as massage will free you up, introduce blood to the affected area and release the build up of toxins in the muscle fibres.  It might not always be the most relaxing of experiences but it will make you feel loads better afterwards.  So if you or someone you know is going for it but is complaining of sore legs or arms, please get in touch, I can help.  5K or 10K run on the horizon? No problem, book a post race session to aid your recovery.

DOMS, don't suffer in silence (you can't stay silent though, every movement is agony, punctuated with ooh's and aargh's and stronger expletives)
 


 

For any questions, enquiries;
Email synergy_therapies@icloud.com