Following exercise it can be difficult to determine whether the pain you’re feeling is innocent (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness aka DOMs) or something more sinister such as an injury.

DOMS is a natural response following exercise that your body is not accustomed to; whether that be exercise duration, intensity, load, or exercise type. Research suggests that DOMS may be caused my muscle micro-tears and the body’s inflammatory response to this damage.

To determine whether the pain you are feeling is DOMS or injury related pain, there are a few factors to consider:

• Onset of pain: DOMS can occur 12 hours following exercise however injury related pain will likely occur during or immediately following exercise. Additionally, DOMS will be noticed when moving, however injury related pain can be felt when moving or when sedentary.
• Duration of Pain: Generally, DOMS subsides within 3-7 days, however injury related pain usually presents for a longer period of time.
• Site of Pain: DOMS is normally felt in large muscle groups however injury related pain can be isolated to smaller areas including joints. DOMS also commonly occurs bilaterally, however injury related pain may be felt unilaterally.
• Type of Pain: DOMS is usually described as a tender, dully aching however injury related pain can often be a sharp and acute sensation.

References:

Mizumura, K., & Taguchi, T. (2015). Delayed onset muscle soreness: Involvement of neurotrophic factors. The Journal Of Physiological Sciences, 66(1), 43-52. doi: 10.1007/s12576-015-0397-0

Smith, B., Hendrick, P., Bateman, M., Holden, S., Littlewood, C., Smith, T., & Logan, P. (2018). Musculoskeletal pain and exercise—challenging existing paradigms and introducing new. British Journal Of Sports Medicine, 53(14), 907-912. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-098983 Zeng, C., Luo, G., Xu, S., & Li, Y. (2022). The Application of DOMS Mechanism and Prevention in Physical Education and Training. Journal Of Healthcare Engineering, 2022, 1-5. doi: 10.1155/2022/9654919