Body Aches After Exercise: Causes & 6 Ways To Relieve Them

The soreness that arrives a day after exercise has a name: delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. It is normal, particularly after a new routine or after a long break from training.

Why does soreness arrive a day later, not immediately?

During training, muscle fibres develop microscopic tears. It is the body's repair response to those tears — not the tears themselves — that causes the soreness, and that response takes time to build. That is why it peaks around the 48th hour rather than as soon as training ends.

Lactic acid is often blamed, but lactic acid clears from the muscle within an hour of training. It is not the cause.

Six ways to relieve it

1. Move lightly. A slow 15-minute walk or cycle increases blood flow to the sore muscle.
2. Drink enough water. Dehydrated muscle recovers more slowly.
3. Sleep enough. Most muscle repair happens during sleep.
4. Stretch gently. Hold each stretch 20–30 seconds; do not bounce.
5. Apply warmth. 15–20 minutes helps the muscle relax after the first 24 hours.
6. Massage with a warming oil. Apply Minyak Tapil Cap Wanita or a similar warming oil and massage gently towards the heart for five to ten minutes.

How long does the soreness last?

Three to five days for most people. The same session will produce milder soreness next time — muscle adapts quickly.

If the pain sits in a joint rather than in the muscle belly — the knee especially — see causes of knee pain and how to relieve it.

When is it no longer ordinary soreness?

Get it examined if the pain is sharp and concentrated at one point, comes with noticeable swelling, you cannot move the joint, or your urine turns dark after a very heavy session. These are signs of injury, not DOMS.