Tips & Techniques

Soreness? Or Injury?

Denise Smith 
 • 
March 8, 2017

2-3 days. That seems to be the magical number when you know if something is an injury versus just soreness.

At 2-3 days, any soreness that is attributed to a workout should resolve. Anything that lingers than that, well . . . that just might be an injury. And
do you notice that same pain when you do something simple like squat down to pick up something off the floor or walk down the stairs long after the
activity has been completed? Yup - that might be some irritated tissues and not what is called "delayed onset muscle soreness" after a good workout.

Other factors to continue to help determine if there an injury:

- pain worsens with activity (versus worsens after sitting still)

- pain is described as sharp or stabbing pain (versus tenderness or soreness)

- pain is located to joint or close to joint (versus within the muscle only)

Consulting a physical therapist is always a good option when you are unsure if an injury is related to irritation versus simple muscle soreness. Physical
therapists can check things like range of motion (ROM) and strength while watching you move. This can tell them how your body is functioning - is it
compensating because of injury?? Sometimes doctors will take an x-ray, which will tell if there is a fracture but does not indicated anything
about tendons, ligaments or muscles. MRIs can be very expensive, so it is always easiest to begin an "injury screen" from your favorite physical therapist.

Meet the Author
Denise Smith graduated from Marquette University in 2002 with a Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy and has been a certified running technique specialist since 2014. She is a consultant for multiple local middle and high schools and instructs courses in Kinesiology at McHenry County College. Denise also travels the country as part of the Pose Method education team with a lecture series on injury prevention and treatment along with the running technique certification course.
You were made to move!
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