Is it true that the laces with more laces are removed?

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After a first class, trying a discipline that we are not used to, after a HIIT, a race or even after taking a walk uphill.

Anyone has been able to feel that sensation of

hours after exercise that we know as stiffness.

Technically, they are called DOMS, which stands for

or late-onset muscle pain in its English translation.

What they owe?

"For decades it was mistakenly believed that muscle aches were produced by lactate crystallization in the muscles. However, we now know that they are

derived from physical activity itself", explains Ernest Prades Àlvarez, Graduate in Sciences of Physical Activity and Sport and responsible for the Academic Secretary and teacher at the European Sports Health Institute (ESHI).

In other words,

with a favorable prognosis that, according to the expert, are especially felt "if the exercise is performed at a certain intensity, or if it includes movements to which our body is not accustomed."

HOW LONG DO THE LACES LAST?

Experts recommend continuing with light exercise, as long as muscle pain is not too bad.Shutterstock

The usual thing is that the stiffness is perceived between

executed to the maximum and prolonged, especially in untrained people, explains the professional, and reaches its splendor at 48 hours.

The pain increases during the first and second days and decreases in the 5 to 7 days after.

"After an intense training session,

in the myofibrils , which cause the muscle to swell."

This

produced in the muscle fibers themselves are responsible for that sensation of muscle pain that we feel when we exceed the usual intensity in our workouts or when we start a new training plan to which we are not yet adapted, the expert asserts.

ABOUT THE LACES

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A

has been seen between the

performed, comments Dr. Lucía Garvín Ocampos, Head of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital and Associate Professor in Health Sciences.

Those types of exercise in which

Like, for example, the descent in a squat.

"Current theory relates shoelaces to the great stresses caused when preferably eccentric work is performed, which cause alterations in the muscle components and tears in the muscle cell and in the connective tissue that surrounds the muscle."

The doctor explains other previous theories about the origin of muscle pain.

The first of these is the one already mentioned by Prades Àlvarez about the overproduction of lactic acid that would accumulate in the muscle, eventually crystallizing, producing micro-lesions and, at the same time, increasing local acidity, which would act as a harmful stimulus for sensory nerve endings.

But, as the coach also assured,

.

"It has been observed that stiffness also occurs when eccentric muscle contractions are performed, without carrying out intense muscle exercise, with little lactic acid production," argues Dr. Garvín.

Another theory is that intense muscle contractions produce "

, favoring the diffusion of algic substances [responsible for any pain] into the interstitial space [between the cells]. That would produce a spasm." muscle," he says.

On the other hand, the increase in temperature after exercise could cause

, continues this physiotherapist.

Another theory about the etiology of muscle pain late after exercise is that "a lesion of the muscle fibers occurs and, 24 hours later, an infiltrate of mononuclear cells with the mission of regenerating the injured tissue," she slips.

THE SENTENCE MADE

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Once we understand what happens in our body, is the saying "the shoelaces with more shoelaces are removed" valid?

"No, said like that, as it is, this expression is just

. But we could qualify part of the message," says Prades Àlvarez.

As we have seen, soreness is a symptom of a lack of adaptation to training, either because we are beginners or when we resume training after a certain time.

"In a way, we could say that

, since each new training produces an adaptive response in our body, which makes us

. And, therefore, that training that a while ago gave us It generated unbearable stiffness, now it won't do it anymore, because we will have adapted".

In summary, it is not that training more removes them, but that

to these new or more intense workouts and they will stop being generated for it.

SHOULD WE CONTINUE TRAINING?

Active recovery is surely the most interesting strategy to continue with our lifestyle.Shutterstock

As a general rule, continuing to move would be the most optimal, but regulating the intensity, says the coach.

If it is a

, the evidence tells us that it is not only feasible to continue training, but recommendable.

On the contrary, in the

and allow the muscles to recover, says Prades Àlvarez.

"We must understand that, in addition to causing muscle pain, shoelaces

of our joints, as well as the ability of our muscles to apply force. Pain associated with shoelaces has also been shown to change our patterns of movement, reducing the activation of the target musculature and thus increasing the risk of injury," he says.

However, if we always wait for the stiffness to disappear completely, our process of adaptation to training will be very slow, we will make almost no progress and we will only

.

RECOVERY TIPS

Active

is surely the most interesting strategy once the shoelaces have already appeared, says Prades Àlvarez.

"Instead of sitting on the couch through pain, we should be as active as possible. This light activity will help improve blood flow and eliminate all those metabolites associated with muscle pain."

There are conflicting opinions among professionals about whether to apply local heat or cold, as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Regarding the results of the studies carried out on the utility of stretching in the shoelaces, they are contradictory.

"The application of massages after exercise does not seem to change the clinic or its evolution, although it does reduce the sensation of contracture," says Garvín Ocampos.

The latest recommendations based on scientific evidence also include

with a

[a massage roller] and the inclusion of a good general warm-up and muscle-nerve activation prior to the training session.

"Strategies based on that same line of oxygenating and bringing blood to the painful area to eliminate metabolites and reduce inflammation."

hoaxes to avoid

We must avoid other common practices, such as introducing stretches before carrying out the activity, the specialist concludes: "They would be

and could increase the damage."

Nor is sugar water and

with home remedies useful.

Although some research suggests that turmeric, coffee, and ginger taken prior to exercise might help, there is no conclusive evidence that any particular food or drink combats muscle aches.

What we can do is maintain healthy habits, such as a balanced diet and regular exercise to prevent them.

Prevention is recommended with a good sports training program.

"If pain appears, it is better

with exercises of lower intensity and at a lower speed, without load", summarizes the Dr. from the San Carlos Clinical Hospital.

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