Do Your Muscles Have a Fever? how to treat it ?

Muscles Fever . There is hardly a regular athlete who has not faced muscle fever at least once in his life. Although muscle fever has been a well-known phenomenon in sports for decades, today we still do not know everything about it. In the lines below we will look in a little more detail at the possible causes of muscle fever, whether and how we can prevent and “cure” it, and we will pay attention to some frequently asked questions about it.

What is muscle fever?

Muscle fever is a normal and natural phenomenon that occurs mostly when muscle tissue is subjected to a load to which it is not accustomed. Such a load may be completely new and unfamiliar, but the trainee may also have previous experience, but significant time has elapsed since the last practice.  It is possible to get muscle fever at a known type of load, but after a sharp change in its volume and / or intensity. For example, if a muscle has so far been trained with a total of 5 sets of workouts in a given workout, but is suddenly loaded with 15, it is likely to lead to muscle fever.

  • In the scientific literature, muscle fever is known as delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS for short. The reason for this name is the time of its appearance. Unlike the sudden soreness in the muscles, which can appear during the training itself as a result of ischemia or accumulation of secondary metabolic substances, which stops shortly after the end of the load, our familiar muscle fever appears at least 6 hours after the end. of exercise, reaches its peak after about 48-72 hours and depending on the degree of pain, it may take 5-7 days to disappear.

    Muscle fever leads to pain and a feeling of stiffness in the muscle tissue when touched and / or moved, there is often a reduced ability to generate force, as well as changes in the biomechanics of adjacent joints. Pain is often described and felt at the ends of the muscles, in the area of ​​the musculoskeletal ligaments. According to some scientific data, the reason for this may be that most of the receptors for muscle pain are located in the tendons and connective tissue. In theory, any muscle can be affected, despite the anecdotal sharing of professional athletes and amateurs that some muscles are more susceptible to DOMS and others are nearly immune.

    Etiology and mechanisms of muscle fever

    Muscle fever is most pronounced after exercise requiring mainly eccentric contractions in muscle tissue, although the occurrence is possible in concentric and isometric contractions, but to a much lesser extent and often insignificant. During eccentric contractions, muscle tissue generates strength during its elongation. As examples, eccentric contractions are observed during the weight-lowering phase of the dumbbell bending exercise with dumbbells, during squats, descending stairs, or running down a slope.

    It is believed that the main reason for the appearance of DOMS mainly in eccentric contractions is one of the mechanisms that we will mention below – that of muscle damage. During eccentric contractions, more force is generated over a smaller area of ​​muscle tissue by activating primarily type II muscle fibers, which have been shown to be more susceptible to injury. These factors lead to more muscle damage, which along with other triggered mechanisms leads to a feeling of more pain. In theory, however, any activity that results in the generation of a force of greater amplitude and / or longer duration than usual has the potential to lead to DOMS.

    Although DOMS as a phenomenon has been considered and debated in the scientific literature for 30+ years, to this day science cannot firmly pinpoint the exact cause of its occurrence. Over the years, several major theories have been the focus of the scientific literature. Although at this stage it is not possible to indicate a specific cause and mechanism for the occurrence of muscle fever and not all mechanisms are well proven, many experts believe that DOMS is probably a consequence of a combination of some of the theories considered.

    Lactic acid theory

    Under stress, which relies mainly on anaerobic (oxygen-free) energy generation, a substance called lactate is formed as a result of the glycolysis process in the cells (lactate, erroneously called lactic acid, although the difference is mostly semantic). Years ago, the accumulation of lactate in cells was thought to lead to a decrease in cellular pH, leading to lactic acidosis. This lactic acidosis has been thought to be the cause of sudden pain during exercise (burning and pain during a very long and inflated training series).

    One theory of muscle fever states that eccentric contractions lead to greater and longer accumulation of lactate, leading to muscle fever. However, this theory has been repeatedly refuted, as lactate levels fall to normal levels long before the onset of muscle fever symptoms. Some data even show that certain movements with predominantly eccentric contractions (running on a slope) require less oxygen to generate energy and produce smaller amounts of lactate, while leading to severe muscle fever.

    Theory of muscle spasms

    In 1961, de Vries proposed a theory of muscle fever, according to which ischemia (limited blood supply leading to oxygen deficiency) during high-intensity exercise leads to the formation of a (vague) substance that causes pain. According to him, the accumulation of this substance leads to the stimulation of muscle pain receptors, which in turn lead to muscle spasms and contractions prolonging ischemia and the formation of the substance in question. According to de Vries, this vicious circle is a possible cause of the prolonged sensation of pain after exercise.

    While some experiments using bipolar EMG failed to detect increased muscle activity after eccentric loading, others using unipolar EMG failed. The difference in results is thought to be due to the fact that bipolar EMG is three times more sensitive than unipolar, but the validity of the theory remains questionable.

    Connective tissue disorder theory

    Another theory is that DOMS is a consequence of muscle injuries caused by overextension and overload. The injuries are not to the muscle cells / fibers themselves, but to the connective tissue that surrounds them, mainly the endomysium. Muscle tendon injuries have also been suggested as a potential cause. Because connective tissue is stiffer and inelastic than muscle fibers, high mechanical stress has the potential to cause more trauma to it, which in turn can cause pain.

    To prove this theory, the experiments focused on the levels of hydroxyproline in the urine, as it is a secondary substance that is formed during the synthesis and breakdown of collagen in the connective tissue. Abraham  ⁠ detects elevated levels of hydroxyproline in the urine after exercise and the peak of excretion coincides with the peak of muscle fever, which implies injury to the connective tissue,

    but his experiment suffered from some drawbacks – not all participants experienced muscle fever (5 out of 7) and some participants reported the presence of muscle fever not only in the limbs performing eccentric contractions, but also those performing concentric. Subsequent work by other authors also found the presence of hydroxyproline in the urine after exercise, but at far lower and insignificant levels. The theory of connective tissue damage as a mechanism of DOMS remains unclear.

    Muscle damage theory

    Unlike the theory of connective tissue damage in muscles, the theory of muscle damage refers directly to muscle fibers. More precisely, for the damage to the myofibrils and the contractile elements in them – those that actually cause the muscles to contract and generate strength. The theory of muscle damage is perhaps the best studied and is considered to be the most likely and underlying cause of DOMS. It is well known that at sufficiently high intensity and duration of mechanical load, muscle contractions lead to injuries of the contractile elements.

    A number of studies have shown that eccentric contractions lead to significantly more muscle damage than concentric or isometric contractions. These injuries are specific and are known as z-line streaming. These muscle damages are observed mainly in type IIb muscle fibers, not only because they do most of the work during high-intensity exercise, but also because they are more susceptible to injury than type I fibers. Unfortunately, at this stage, it has not yet been directly proven that muscle damage is the main cause of DOMS.

    Some experiments use certain enzymes to prove the theory, whose elevated levels are directly related to muscle trauma (creatine kinase, myoglobin), but fail to achieve satisfactory results. Creatine kinase experiments show a discrepancy between the time to peak after exercise of the enzyme and DOMS – 4-7 days for the enzyme and 24-48 hours for DOMS. Elevated myoglobin levels are observed after eccentric loading and the presence of DOMS, but also an increase is observed after concentric loading without DOMS.

    Other data show that muscle damage is present immediately after exercise, while the symptoms of muscle fever take at least 6-12 hours to be felt. This also makes the theory difficult to prove.

    Theory of inflammatory processes

    The latest popular theory about the origin of DOMS states that increased levels of inflammation and inflammatory processes as a result of muscle injuries caused during exercise can cause muscle fever.

    It has been repeatedly proven that after exercise, increased inflammatory processes are often observed. According to some authors, it is possible that after crossing a certain quantitative limit, inflammatory processes, in combination or alone with edema and increased osmotic pressure, stimulate pain receptors and nerve endings in the muscles. However, the data are contradictory and it is not entirely clear whether and to what extent inflammation has a direct impact on DOMS.

    Methods for prevention and “treatment” of muscle fever

    Probably due to the fact that the exact mechanism of occurrence for DOMS is not completely clear, at this stage there are no particularly effective solutions for “treatment” of muscle fever. There are some practices that can slightly improve symptoms, but at this stage the best solution is not “treatment” but prevention. The most effective method of preventing DOMS is by pre-applying the appropriate load, but in a far lower training volume and lower intensity.

    For example, if an athlete is scheduled to begin the barbell push-up exercise in a 4-set protocol, each with 10 repetitions and a perceived load rating (RPE) of ~ 8, assuming that he or she has never performed before. this exercise, or last performed a few months ago, it is recommended for the prevention of DOMS its first training and performance to consist, for example, only 1 series of 10 repetitions, not allowing RPE to exceed ~ 5-6 (4-5 repetitions in reserve).

    The reason for the effectiveness of this method is the so-called phenomenon of repeated bout effect (literal translation into Bulgarian – repetitive effect). Due to the occurrence of a number of adaptations, not all of which are well studied and clear, after the initial load the muscle tissue becomes more resistant to injury, which leads to significantly less or even complete absence of muscle fever. This resistance can last for several weeks.

    Repeated bout effect is a repeatedly proven and observed phenomenon, not only in the scientific literature, but probably every weightlifter has observed it in their own training. A recent study shows that even the use of extremely low intensity (10% 1RM) is able to significantly reduce muscle damage from subsequent exercise and significantly improve training recovery. If, however, muscle fever catches you unprepared, some methods can help a little in improving your symptoms. A small part of the scientific data is of high quality, which must be kept in mind.

    Methods with proven potential benefit are:

    • massage .
    • including foam roller self-massage .
    •  vibration therapy .
    • cryotherapy.
    • but data are weak .
    • contrast showers .
    • immersion in cold water .
    • the use of compression accessories .
    • active rest, but the data are weak and the method probably works in specific situations 
    • intake of certain herbs / plants and food supplements such as saffron, turmeric, caffeine, ginger, cinnamon, black tea, garlic, omega-3 fatty acids, taurine, BCAA, HMB, creatine, polyphenols and antioxidants. 
    • taking certain specific non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in particular aspirin. 
    On the other hand, methods that have been shown to be ineffective are:

    stretching .
  • taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, in particular diclofenac and ibuprofen .
  • post-workout protein powder intake (the total amount of protein for the day is important, but the specific post-workout intake has no effect .

 

In general, of the listed methods for “treatment” of DOMS, massage has the greatest practical benefit and effectiveness, and to a far lesser extent the use of compressive accessories and immersion in cold water. The rest can be safely omitted, as on the one hand they are far less effective and on the other – the supporting data are small and contradictory.

Frequently Asked Questions

From time immemorial, along with muscle fever, there are some things that are especially interesting to most exercisers.

Should I train when I have muscle fever?

It depends on the individual case. If the muscle fever is weak and does not interfere with the movement of the limbs, then a little better warm-up before training should be enough to stop feeling it. You will probably be able to do a full workout without noticing a significant loss in productivity.

If the muscle fever is very strong and even prevents you from moving normally, it is better to either skip the workout altogether, or to shift your workouts so that you train another muscle group. Let’s not forget that muscle damage is probably the most important factor leading to muscle fever, and stronger muscle fever is probably accompanied by more muscle damage. Reloading a muscle that is far from optimal is not a good strategy.

If the muscle fever is moderately strong and tolerable, but not deadly strong, you can do a very light workout in order to simply move and stimulate blood flow. This, as a form of active rest, has the potential to help DOMS recover and disappear faster.

Is it important to have muscle fever after every workout?

There is a popular belief in fitness circles that the presence of muscle fever indicates that the training was complete. Many people think that if they do not have muscle fever, then something is not right and their training will be almost fruitless. However, this is not the case at all. Muscle fever is not a necessary condition for muscle growth and it is not reasonable to target (28) (. Scientific data in recent years have called into question the need for muscle damage for muscle growth.

In fact, frequent and regular muscle fever can be a sign of poor recovery, which leads us to the next frequently asked question.

No matter what I do, I always have / don’t have muscle fever. Is this normal?

Some people report that whatever they do, they (almost) always have muscle fever after loading certain muscle groups. They follow all the “rules” for a good training recovery, but still can not avoid muscle fever. Frequent muscle cramps can also be a consequence of poor recovery, so it is good for people with such a complaint to pay attention to whether they follow all the recommendations for maintaining its optimum. On the other hand, other people report that no matter what they do, they never have muscle fever and certain muscle groups seem to be immune to DOMS.

In fact, both phenomena are completely normal, as there is significant interindividual variation in muscle fever. In other words, no matter what they do, some people can’t get muscle fever, while others, no matter what they do, can’t avoid it, except, of course, for insane and impractical training protocols that no one should. to follow. Probable reason for this is that many different factors affect how predisposed a person is to muscle damage – age, gender, genes, physical condition, preparation and range of motion in the joints are some of them.

In conclusion

After more than 30 years of research, no one can say for sure what, to what extent and why leads to muscle fever. Probably the lack of details is the reason why there is still no quick and highly effective “cure” for it. That is why the best solution against it is prevention, and when it catches us unprepared, it seems most reasonable to just let it go by itself.

Sources used :

  1. Hotfiel T, Freiwald J, Hoppe M, Lutter C, Forst R, Grim C, et al. Advances in Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Part I: Pathogenesis and Diagnostics. Sport · Sport. 2018 Dec 11;32(04):243–50.
  2. Heiss R, Lutter C, Freiwald J, Hoppe M, Grim C, Poettgen K, et al. Advances in Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) – Part II: Treatment and Prevention. Sport · Sport. 2019 Mar 13;33(01):21–9.
  3. Lewis PB, Ruby D, Bush-Joseph CA. Muscle Soreness and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness. Clin Sports Med. 2012 Apr;31(2):255–62.
  4. Cheung K, Hume PA, Maxwell L. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Sport Med. 2003;33(2):145–64.
  5. Connolly DAJ, Sayers SP, McHugh MP. Treatment and prevention of delayed onset muscle soreness. J strength Cond Res. 2003 Feb;17(1):197–208.
  6. Cleak MJ, Eston RG. Delayed onset muscle soreness: Mechanisms and management. J Sports Sci. 1992 Aug 14;10(4):325–41.
  7. ARMSTRONG RB. Mechanisms of exercise-induced delayed onset muscular soreness: a brief review. 1984;
  8. Gulick DT, Kimura IF. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: What Is It and How Do We Treat It? J Sport Rehabil. 1996 Aug 1;5(3):234–43.
  9. Abraham WM. Factors in delayed muscle soreness. Med Sci Sports. 1977;9(1):11–20.
  10. Cleary MA, Kimura IF, Sitler MR, Kendrick Z V. Temporal Pattern of the Repeated Bout Effect of Eccentric Exercise on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness. J Athl Train. 2002 Mar;37(1):32–6.
  11. Guo J, Li L, Gong Y, Zhu R, Xu J, Zou J, et al. Massage Alleviates Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness after Strenuous Exercise: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Physiol. 2017 Sep 27;8:747.
  12. Dupuy O, Douzi W, Theurot D, Bosquet L, Dugué B. An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. Front Physiol. 2018 Apr 26;9:403.
  13. Pearcey GEP, Bradbury-Squires DJ, Kawamoto J-E, Drinkwater EJ, Behm DG, Button DC. Foam Rolling for Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Recovery of Dynamic Performance Measures. J Athl Train. 2015 Jan;50(1):5–13.
  14. Lu X, Wang Y, Lu J, You Y, Zhang L, Zhu D, et al. Does vibration benefit delayed-onset muscle soreness?: a meta-analysis and systematic review. J Int Med Res. 2019 Jan 10;47(1):3–18.
  15. Bleakley C, McDonough S, Gardner E, Baxter GD, Hopkins JT, Davison GW. Cold-water immersion (cryotherapy) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Feb 15;(2):CD008262.
  16. Costello JT, Baker PR, Minett GM, Bieuzen F, Stewart IB, Bleakley C. Whole-body cryotherapy (extreme cold air exposure) for preventing and treating muscle soreness after exercise in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Sep 18;(9):CD010789.
  17. Bartolomei S, Totti V, Griggio F, Malerba C, Ciacci S, Semprini G, et al. Upper-Body Resistance Exercise Reduces Time to Recover After a High-Volume Bench Press Protocol in Resistance-Trained Men. J strength Cond Res. 2019 Mar 4;1.
  18. Meamarbashi A. Herbs and natural supplements in the prevention and treatment of delayed-onset muscle soreness. Avicenna J phytomedicine. 2017;7(1):16–26.
  19. Kim J, Lee J. A review of nutritional intervention on delayed onset muscle soreness. Part I. J Exerc Rehabil. 2014 Dec;10(6):349–56.
  20. Harty PS, Cottet ML, Malloy JK, Kerksick CM. Nutritional and Supplementation Strategies to Prevent and Attenuate Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage: a Brief Review. Sport Med – open. 2019 Jan 7;5(1):1.
  21. Ranchordas MK, Rogerson D, Soltani H, Costello JT. Antioxidants for preventing and reducing muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 Dec 14;12:CD009789.
  22. Candia-Luján R, De Paz Fernández JA, Costa Moreira O. [Are antioxidant supplements effective in reducing delayed onset muscle soreness? A systematic review]. Nutr Hosp. 2014 Oct 5;31(1):32–45.
  23. Francis KT, Hoobler T. Effects of aspirin on delayed muscle soreness. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1987 Sep;27(3):333–7.
  24. Herbert RD, de Noronha M, Kamper SJ. Stretching to prevent or reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 Jul 6;(7):CD004577.
  25. Tokmakidis SP, Kokkinidis EA, Smilios I, Douda H. The effects of ibuprofen on delayed muscle soreness and muscular performance after eccentric exercise. J strength Cond Res. 2003 Feb;17(1):53–9.
  26. SEMARK A, NOAKES TD, GIBSON ASC, LAMBERT MI. The effect of a prophylactic dose of flurbiprofen on muscle soreness and sprinting performance in trained subjects. J Sports Sci. 1999 Jan;17(3):197–203.
  27. Pasiakos SM, Lieberman HR, McLellan TM. Effects of Protein Supplements on Muscle Damage, Soreness and Recovery of Muscle Function and Physical Performance: A Systematic Review. Sport Med. 2014 May 17;44(5):655–70.
  28. Schoenfeld BJ, Contreras B. Is Postexercise Muscle Soreness a Valid Indicator of Muscular Adaptations? Strength Cond J. 2013 Oct;35(5):16–21.
  29. Damas F, Libardi CA, Ugrinowitsch C. The development of skeletal muscle hypertrophy through resistance training: the role of muscle damage and muscle protein synthesis. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2018 Mar 27;118(3):485–500.
  30. Damas F, Phillips SM, Libardi CA, Vechin FC, Lixandrão ME, Jannig PR, et al. Resistance training-induced changes in integrated myofibrillar protein synthesis are related to hypertrophy only after attenuation of muscle damage. J Physiol. 2016 Sep 15;594(18):5209–22.
  31. Flann KL, LaStayo PC, McClain DA, Hazel M, Lindstedt SL. Muscle damage and muscle remodeling: no pain, no gain? J Exp Biol. 2011 Feb 15;214(4):674–9.
  32. Fatouros IG, Jamurtas AZ. Insights into the molecular etiology of exercise-induced inflammation: opportunities for optimizing performance. J Inflamm Res. 2016;9:175–86.

 

People also look for : 

Variety of Body Types – Mesomorph , Important To Know

Swimming and Fitness excellent form of exercise

Kiwi – a small vitamin – “bomb” What’s is so special

Myths in Bodybuilding : The Glycemic index Most Popular!