Knowing how to differentiate painful muscle from painful exertion, which can signal an injury, is very important
They say that a good workout is what then leaves our body all sore – after all, if it doesn’t hurt the next day, it means that the workout “didn’t work.” However, is it safe to exercise when, in fact, we have a sore body?
Rest is an essential part of a good exercise routine, so we spoke to the physical educator Vanessa Furstenberger to understand when we need to brake and when we can move forward when it comes to post-workout physical pain.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FEELING PAIN AND FEELING PAIN
We can start this differentiation very simply: feeling pain after training is a bad sign. Pain, according to the physical educator, is an indication that the physical stimulus was greater than what the body supports, so it can begin during training (after a specific movement) or soon after.
This pain, if it persists and is not treated properly, can cause injury in the future. Therefore, any sign of pain – the one that doesn’t go away, that can be acute or persistent, that gets worse with movement – is an alarm. Here, the first step is to stop exercising and seek out a specialist doctor.
“Feeling pain meant that there was an ideal stimulus to inflame the muscles and cause delayed pain ranging from 24 to 72 hours after training,” he explains.
The sensation of muscle aches occurs because when we do weight training, for example, we generate micro-breaks in the muscle fibers, which become inflamed after this stimulus – pain is a symptom of this inflammation.
“These micro-tears are necessary for the body to understand that it needs to build more muscle to resist the stimuli that will come with training,” he says.
IS IT WORTH FORMING THE PAIN?
Depending on the intensity of the pain, yes. For Vanessa, if the muscle pain is only the effort of the previous workout, there is no contraindication to physical practice. However, an interesting idea is to alternate between regions of the body. For example, if your arms and chest are sore, you can train your legs. If your legs are sore, you can train your arms and so on.
Aerobic exercises are interesting in these cases because they help relieve pain and inflammation. But if you find that the pain hasn’t even subsided, the best thing to do is respect it and give it some rest before training that region again.
“It is at rest that the body adjusts to supercompensation and builds stronger and bigger muscles, depending on each individual’s goal,” says Vanessa. “At this point anabolism occurs, meaning the muscle has more building than breaking down of protein and fiber, which brings the expected results with training, such as muscle growth and strength gain.”
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Source: Terra
Benjamin Smith is a fashion journalist and author at Gossipify, known for his coverage of the latest fashion trends and industry insights. He writes about clothing, shoes, accessories, and runway shows, providing in-depth analysis and unique perspectives. He’s respected for his ability to spot emerging designers and trends, and for providing practical fashion advice to readers.
