why does it take >24 hours to “feel” a hard workout?
In: Biology
Interestingly enough, this is impossible to answer as there is no conclusive answer as to why. Really.
Which seems strange as “new movement” seems like one of the most basic things in human existence, but why the pain appears later, and only initially, but not repeatedly, even from overload (This is called the RBE for Repeated Bout Effect – the fact that you can strain the muscles even harder in the future, tear them up even more, but to no DOMS effect as long as the muscle is regularly undergoing that stress), still isn’t conclusive.
There are certainly existing factors, inflammation, stretching, or the use of, underused muscle fibres, etc – but again, *WHY* that pain appears is still unclear.
Source:
https://www.painscience.com/articles/delayed-onset-muscle-soreness.php
“*The exact cause of DOMS is unknown. Like most relatively minor aches and pains, understanding DOMS is an extremely low priority in medical science. That’s surprising when you consider the impact DOMS has on elite athletes — a group of people whose performance is collectively worth trillions of dollars, and obsessively optimized, seemingly sparing no expense. You’d think this topic, at least, would get more scientific attention. And yet we don’t really know why DOMS happens.*”
Footnoted sources:
Parr JJ, Borsa PA, Fillingim RB, et al. Pain-related fear and catastrophizing predict pain intensity and disability independently using an induced muscle injury model. J Pain. 2012 Apr;13(4):370–8.
Pyne DB. Exercise-induced muscle damage and inflammation: a review. Aust J Sci Med Sport. 1994 Sep-Dec;26(3-4):49–58.
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