With the start of the New Year and over 50% of Americans choosing a fitness related resolution, most are more than likely dealing with some muscle soreness. This is normal, especially for those that have taken an extended amount of time away from an exercise routine. This muscle soreness is called DOMS.

What is DOMS?

The acronym DOMS stands for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. The general idea is that most people experience most of their muscle soreness anywhere from 24-72 hours post exercise hence “delayed”. DOMS is characterized by a feeling of soreness in muscles, reduced joint ranges of motion, increased stiffness and decreased muscle performance. This constellation of symptoms can make training hard again shortly after an exercise bout difficult and unenjoyable and thus a way to reduce this experience may enhance overall training performance and consistency. 

What causes DOMS?

While the exact reason as to why DOMS occurs has not been identified, multiple factors have been strongly correlated to it’s experience. One factor that correlates well with DOMS is eccentric exercise – which simply means muscles lengthening under tension, think the lowering portion of a bicep curl. This is because of the normal damage and inflammation to muscle fibers during this part of a movement. Damage in this case is microtrauma and the inflammation that occurs are both considered normal and necessary to signal to the body to build back stronger!

One of the most common and effective ways to manage DOMS is through massage therapy.

What exactly is massage?

Massage is a modality that has been used for thousands of years to aid in the body’s natural healing response. It is the use of different pressures and techniques to increase blood and lymphatic flow, reduce muscle tension, and promote relaxation. Every therapist has their own style of how they perform massage for the best results possible, some differences include: amount of pressure, type of lotion used, techniques, the use of instruments such as cupping. Expectations and preferences on these things should be set between you and the therapist before the start of the massage so you receive maximum benefit. 

(Abbe Wallace, NMT working on a TTR member)

How can massage help with DOMs?

It is probably pretty clear how massage can benefit you if you’re experiencing DOMS. The increase in blood and lymphatic flow, decrease in muscular tension and stiffness and increase in relaxation all promote the body to recover faster after a bout of exercise. If you are able to recover fully and in less time, this means you are better able to train harder and more often.

Resource: Guo, J., Li, L., Gong, Y., Zhu, R., Xu, J., Zou, J., & Chen, X. (2017). Massage Alleviates Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness after Strenuous Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in physiology, 8, 747. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00747