Swelling after the Workout
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Most of us have probably experienced muscle swelling or soreness after a workout. Although this doesn’t happen all the time, muscle swelling often happens after having intense work outs. But what causes muscle swelling in the first place?
Muscle swelling is a definite effect of very intense work namely heart thumping stair climber on the gym, heavy weight lifting, and hard running on the track. Every time our muscles are working hard, they automatically release a byproduct of muscle metabolism known as lactic acid. Once this byproduct flows through the muscles, it causes some sort of discomfort that triggers muscle swelling. But then, the soreness of muscles due to lactic acid wears away after several hours or less than a day after the work out. This means that muscle swelling that can last for more than a day is caused by a totally different factor.
People who are in a goal of building up huge muscles, they tend to subject their muscles to exercises that are so intense and far greater than their capacities. When this happens, muscle is damaged but is repaired immediately through the aid of white blood cells, prostaglandins, and other fluids and nutrients. The influx of these fluids causes a discomforting effect on the muscles that trigger swelling. This certain damage is microscopic and is healed depending on how intense the work out was. This makes a good reason why muscle swelling lasts from 2 to 5 days maximum.
The common misconception for some fitness enthusiasts is that muscle swelling is needed for better muscle growth. Muscles still do grow and individuals get stronger even when they don’t get a muscle sore. Muscle swelling does cause several uncomfortable consequences like difficulty in walking, reduced strength, and being uncomfortable for several days.
Muscle swelling is counter acted by a n anti-inflammatory drug. But then, the secret lies on the timing of whether to take the drug before or after the work out. Some careful studies have been conducted and showed that an anti-inflammatory drug like ibuprofen proves to be more effective when taken before a work out. There also others that depend on the pre-stretches alone in preventing some misfortunes during and after their work outs. However, some previously conducted studies have exposed that pre-stretches don’t do any help at all.
Another good remedy on muscle soreness is a massage. There were also some conducted studies that showed the effect of 30% less muscle swelling for those who have received massages after their work outs compared to those who have not. In other cases, there are several people who still want to go on with their work outs even with a muscle swelling. In order to do so, one must first determine the specific muscle affected by swelling. After which, you can then use the muscle on lighter exercises and see the effects. If the soreness of the muscle happens to have no reactions with the work outs, you can go ahead with the full extent of the exercises. But if the swelling happens to become worse, it is best to immediately stop your work out and take some rest. Keep in mind that a damaged muscle needs more time for it to get full recovery before it starts to grow. When you want to be robust in health, you have to know information on results driven workout .
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