Why do muscles hurt after exercise? Headache after exercise

Muscle contraction requires energy. It is formed during the process of cellular respiration, which occurs in the mitochondria of muscle fibers. This process consists of extracting energy from the breakdown of glucose, amino acids and fatty acids and the formation of high-energy ATP bonds. The energy of these connections is spent on these contractions. The oxygen that is delivered to the muscles in the blood binds to myoglobin, a red pigment similar in structure to hemoglobin.

Muscles and their structure

At rest and during normal physical activity, the muscles receive a sufficient amount of oxygen, however, if untrained muscles work very intensely, then there is not enough oxygen.

Due to lack of oxygen, your muscles begin to produce ATP in anaerobic mode. Muscle glycogen is converted to ATP even without oxygen support. This method of obtaining energy provokes local secretions of a substance called lactic acid by contracting muscles. Since blood flow is obstructed, it lingers in the muscles, causing a burning sensation. Each of us has experienced muscle pain after heavy physical activity. So this pain is associated with the accumulation of lactic acid. This pain occurs 4-6 hours after exercise, and intensifies on the second day. This is why it happens.

Obviously, the more intense the burning, the more lactic acid is produced. But this only applies to weight training. If local blood circulation is not very difficult, then some of the lactic acid is washed out and the pain is not so strong.

Lactic acid does not linger for long hours or days. This is a very important detail, as many believe that the buildup of lactic acid during intense training is responsible for subsequent muscle soreness. If you feel pain 24 or 48 hours after training, lactic acid has nothing to do with it, it has long been gone. Therefore, lactic acid is not related to delayed muscle pain. On the other hand, acid can cause muscle damage (micro-tears) sufficient to trigger a catabolic process that builds up over time and ultimately causes pain.

During intense work, the muscle works in the so-called anaerobic mode, that is, in a mode when it lacks oxygen and uses stored energy. The end product of anaerobic processes is lactic acid. If the load is moderate, then lactic acid is safely removed from the muscles by the blood. But if the load is intense, then lactic acid does not have time to be removed from the muscles and begins to irritate the nerve endings. This is how pain arises.

But there is a second type of muscle pain from exercise - delayed muscle pain. It occurs the next day after exercise and can increase over 2-3 days. Its reason is different - it is the occurrence of micro-tears in muscle fibers. Delayed muscle pain is accompanied by muscle inflammation. With training, delayed muscle pain syndrome weakens.

Muscle pain after exercise may result from a muscle tear. If the pain is the result of overload, then the muscles simply ache slightly when walking and other movements. When muscles are torn, any movement causes acute pain that prevents movement.

How to avoid muscle pain after exercise?

Firstly, you need to exercise regularly. Muscle pain occurs among beginners who, after a long period of idleness, decided to get in shape at an accelerated pace.

During the training process, the body gets used to the load, and it no longer causes muscle pain. This does not mean that lactic acid stops being produced. It’s just that our body, with regular training, learns to cope with the usual load and not respond to it with sharp muscle pain.

Secondly, you don’t need to overexert yourself from the first lesson. The increase in load should be gradual. There is a misconception that muscle pain after the first physical activity is a normal side effect of exercise, a sign that the muscles have worked well. Nothing like this! Pain is a signal from the body that something is wrong. In this case, the body tells us through pain that the muscles have become overloaded.

Thirdly, before classes You should always do a warm-up, “warming up” the muscles.

What to do if pain has already appeared?

If certain muscles hurt, then you need to stop exercising them for at least 3-4 days. And during this time you can train another muscle group.

Firstly never stop exercising because exercise speeds up your metabolism. You just need to reduce the intensity of your workouts.

Secondly, with muscle pains it is good to massage. After exercise, the muscles are in a compressed state, and massage helps to relax. Massage should not bring pain, it can be circular movements, tapping fingers or stretching movements from the periphery to the center. Massage helps to activate the blood flow to the muscles, which leads to the fastest restoration of the acid balance in the body.

Third if the pain is very severe, a warm shower is useful, because it also increases the metabolic rate and promotes relaxation.

Fourth, drinking plenty of water is useful, since water is involved in all metabolic processes of the body and helps to remove metabolic products from the body.

The following measures may help:
1) pressure bandage,
2) ice (if there is swelling),
3) warming ointments with anti-inflammatory and healing effect (if there is no edema),
4) warm baths or a heating pad (if there is no swelling),
5) painkillers from the home medicine cabinet (aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.).

And remember, if the pain bothers you for more than a week, you need to get rid of it.

ATP- Adenosine triphosphate (abbr. ATP, English ATP) - nucleoside triphosphate, which plays an extremely important role in the metabolism of energy and substances in organisms; First of all, the compound is known as a universal source of energy for all biochemical processes occurring in living systems. ATP was discovered in 1929 by a group of scientists at Harvard Medical School, and in 1941 it was proved that ATP is the main energy carrier in the cell.

“Why do muscles hurt if I don’t do sports and don’t experience any physical exertion at all?”

Yana, Minsk.

According to statistics, about 2% of the inhabitants of economically prosperous countries constantly suffer from muscle pain. In most cases, this is due to the formation of persistent muscle spasm. It is provoked by injuries, where muscle tension is a response of the body, prolonged non-physiological position of the body (for example, sitting at an uncomfortable table or carrying a bag on one shoulder), and emotional stress.
The origin of the pain itself may be different. The most common form of myalgia is fibromyalgia, which occurs in ligaments, tendons, and fibrous muscles. This often results in insomnia. In almost two thirds of patients who come to see a neurologist, muscle pain is combined with stiffness in the morning and asthenic syndrome. Fibromyalgia typically affects the neck, back of the head, shoulders, muscles near the knees, and chest. Women are more predisposed to this disease. Pain is aggravated by emotional or physical overload, prolonged lack of sleep, hypothermia, and chronic diseases. Another common cause of muscle pain is inflammation of muscle fibers - myositis. It is often a complication after severe infections. In addition, pain in the muscles can be the first sign of diseases such as polymyositis, polymyalgia rheumatica, brucellosis, influenza, toxoplasmosis, cysticercosis, trichinosis, and also occur with alcohol and other intoxications, diabetes mellitus, primary amyloidosis, rheumatism, osteomyelitis.

As for the legs, it may be a matter of flat feet, which the patient may not even know about. The bottom line: the arches of the feet become flat, walking is more difficult - the legs become “heavier”. The pain can cover their entire lower part. Very often, the legs hurt when the condition of the blood vessels is disturbed, when the blood flows poorly and flows to the tissues, the nerve receptors are irritated. The case may be associated with thrombophlebitis (then the pain is jerky, there is a burning sensation along the affected vein, worse in the calves). With atherosclerosis, there is also a feeling as if the legs are being squeezed in a vice. They lead to pain and diseases of the spine, including osteochondrosis. Not to mention the fact that muscles can ache when the load on the lower limbs increases due to excess body weight. Those who are overweight and have small feet or lower legs are especially affected. On the other hand, muscle pain can be a complication of fasting. Kyphosis, stomach ulcers, systemic autoimmune diseases, influenza, and tonsillitis also often occur with muscle pain. It sometimes accompanies pregnancy. Changes in a woman’s body necessarily affect the muscles. Moreover, smooth muscles are more involved in the process (uterine walls, intestines, blood vessels, hair follicles, abdominal muscles). The skeletal muscles also bear a burden, because a woman’s weight is constantly increasing. It’s hard on your back because the center of gravity in the body shifts. What can we say about the legs! And they respond with muscle cramps and pain in the evenings. To prevent and alleviate all these unpleasant phenomena, you should take vitamins with microelements and do special exercises. It’s better to physically prepare your body for pregnancy in advance.

If muscle pain does not go away or is very severe, you need to make an appointment with a rheumatologist, traumatologist or neurologist. There are certain patterns that give the doctor food for thought. For example, muscle pain at night is most often associated with cramps. They are especially common in caviar. Causes: muscle strain during the day, lack of magnesium, calcium and potassium in the diet, the primary phase of diabetes. Before visiting the doctor, you can try to diversify your diet with greens, radishes, and carrots. Exercises for the legs, which are done right in bed, are very useful. Before going to bed, you should warm the sore spot with a heating pad, but not very hot.

Each disease has its own treatment, which must be prescribed by a doctor. But in any case, ointments for pain and an anesthetic liquid containing novocaine, menthol, alcohol and anesthesin help. Mountain arnica extract is an effective remedy for compresses and rubbing. Bee and snake venom are used for myositis, radiculitis, muscle and ligament injuries. A competent massage can alleviate the condition. Non-hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs not only dull pain, but also relieve inflammation, although such drugs cannot be taken for a long time due to side effects.

Olga PERESADA, Professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of BelMAPO, Doctor of Medical Sciences.

To be healthy, strong and beautiful is the normal desire of any person. To do this, someone works out intensively in the gym, jogs in the morning, or simply does exercises.

After any stress on the body, a headache may appear.

Headaches are common among people of different ages and can be the result of a variety of diseases. In each case, headache after physical activity requires immediate identification of the causes and methods of eliminating them.

During heavy, strenuous work, gym sessions, jogging and other physical activities, the human brain needs more oxygen.

When this process of supplying oxygen to the brain is disrupted for some reason, a headache begins.

Causes

A completely healthy person can get a headache due to strong odors or in a stuffy room. There are many causes of headaches, and pain is a signal of danger in the body. In 5% of cases, the cause is serious diseases, you need to pay attention to them:

Increased blood pressure. During physical activity, blood pressure always increases and this is normal. Healthy blood vessels are elastic and recover quickly. But with hypertension, the vessels cannot cope with double the load. There is a sensation in the back of the head. In some cases, there is bleeding from the nose, nausea, and vomiting. A hypertensive crisis may occur.
Cervical osteochondrosis. The cervical spine contains many blood vessels that supply the human brain. Muscle contraction restricts the movement of the cervical vertebrae, and blood supply to the brain deteriorates. After exertion, a squeezing headache occurs. In some cases, there is dizziness and darkening of the eyes.
Atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels. A vascular disease that affects the walls of the artery. As a result, the vessels become denser and narrower. Blood circulation is disturbed, the supply of oxygen to the brain is reduced. When you are overtired or physically stressed, a headache develops. The frontal area and the back of the head hurt. There is noise in the ears, flashing of dots before the eyes.
Disease of the frontal and maxillary sinuses. Inflammatory diseases in the nasal cavity cause pain when turning the head, bending, or jumping. Aching pain in the region of the nose and occiput. With a heavy load, it becomes pulsating throughout the head.
Various otitises. With prolonged otitis media, aching pain on one side of the head. During classes, it intensifies and gives to the occipital region. Sometimes I feel dizzy.
Intracranial pressure. Severe structural damage to the substance of the brain tissue. It can be congenital, after a concussion or head injury. The symptomatology has a bursting, squeezing character. There is dizziness, nausea, vomiting.
Physical overexertion. Most people experience the pain of physical exertion. The pain is bearable, but can sometimes be severe. In this case, there is no reason for concern.

During the period when blood pressure is higher than normal, it is worth temporarily limiting active sports and not exercising.

Symptoms that should alert you

One cannot ignore the following manifestations of the disease:

impairment and loss of consciousness;
severe headache;
pain accompanied by nausea and vomiting;
numbness of half the face;
double vision and blurred vision;
severe weakness and dots before the eyes.

These symptoms are characteristic of life-threatening diseases.

Treatment methods: traditional and medicinal

Any problem related to human health requires immediate treatment. The appearance of headaches after active physical exertion is no exception. Such an unpleasant phenomenon in most cases is quite served by home therapy.

It is worth noting that it is possible to use both folk remedies and medicines from a pharmacy.

The main treatment measures for the occurrence of headaches are presented below:

First of all, eliminate or alleviate headaches or dizziness. This can be done by taking primitive painkillers (Analgin, Citramon, Mig).
Sleep, taking a “healing” bath with sea salt or some herbs, as well as a compress on the forehead with grated lemon often helps to get rid of headaches.
Drink herbal tea. The most effective drinks will be those made from the herbs St. John's wort, coltsfoot or mint.
You can rub your temples with menthol ointment and massage all parts of the skull.
Eat something sweet. For example, eat a couple of spoons of honey or a couple of slices of chocolate.

Useful video - Causes of a headache:

If the pain is severe, unbearable and untreatable, you must call an ambulance or come to the hospital for special procedures.

Naturally, it is stupid to eliminate headaches every time after physical activity. Therefore, when you come to your senses, consult a specialist to determine the illness that caused your pain. Only after curing this or that disease will exercise become enjoyable and useful for you.

Undoubtedly, the best solution for systematic headaches after physical activity is prevention of the disease. Of course, in case of really serious pathologies or diseases, no amount of preparation for sports will help, but a number of cases fully suggest the use of preventive measures.

Prevention of headaches involves following some recommendations while playing sports, namely:

Breathe correctly. Do not hold your breath, watch it, inhaling while “preparing for a certain action” and exhaling “while working.”
Follow the rule of gradually increasing loads. Do not start playing sports by passing the master of sports standards; do all the exercises step by step and confidently.
Organize a proper diet that balances all the nutrients necessary for the body.
Drink at least 2 liters of water per day. At least 40-60 minutes before training, drink 1-2 glasses of water. Dehydration increases the risk of headaches.
Strengthen your neck muscles by doing special exercises. It is also extremely important to “keep” your posture.

As you can see, the appearance of headaches after physical activity is quite a dangerous phenomenon. However, of course, you shouldn’t give up playing sports. Properly using the above information, it is quite possible to organize normal exercise tolerance. Good health to you!

It is very common for a person to experience abdominal pain after exercise.
Main reasons:

- After exercise and hard work, it is often due to the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles and their swelling during physical exertion. The more lactic acid accumulates, the stronger the microtrauma of the muscles, which leads to muscle pain. For poorly trained muscles, sudden physical exertion can cause severe pain, including in the muscles of the abdomen, legs and arms. In this case, it is recommended to take a warm shower and have a relaxing massage;

During physical exertion, a lot of sweat is released, while fluid reserves in the body are actively consumed. Dehydration often causes, which is very harmful to health. Therefore, before heavy physical labor, it is necessary to drink a sufficient amount of clean drinking water;
Pain during physical activity can also be caused by binge eating before classes or physical work. Too fatty and heavy food does not have time to be digested in the body, resulting in bloating, pain in the lower abdomen on the left or right. A light, low-calorie meal is recommended 2 hours before physical activity.

Important! Performing heavy physical exercise contributes to the accumulation and penetration of toxins and allergens into the intestines, which can cause gastrointestinal complications, vomiting, cramps, and bloody diarrhea.

Stomach hurts after running

Many people experience stomach pain after running. The reasons can be quite harmless, but can also indicate severe pathology.
Let's look at the main reasons:

1. Man doesn't warm up well before running which is the most common cause of pain. In normal conditions, a person has slow blood flow, but when running, the blood flow increases significantly and begins to fill and stretch the organs: the kidneys, spleen and liver, which contain many nerve endings. As a result, the person experiences pain. If the pain is very sharp and lasts a long time, you should immediately call a doctor, as the spleen may rupture. Before running, you definitely need to warm up your muscles, for example, walk for 10-15 minutes at a leisurely pace. It is very useful to do a stretch: raise your right hand up and stretch to the left. After 30-40 seconds, raise your left hand and stretch to the right. If you do such exercises for 5-10 minutes before jogging, your muscles will warm up enough;

1. When jogging it is very it's important to breathe properly, because this is the key to proper load on the cardiovascular system and provision of oxygen to all internal organs. With sluggish and weak breathing, not enough oxygen enters the body to ensure the normal functioning of internal organs. If the liver does not receive enough oxygen, then as a result of weak blood flow, venous blood stagnates in it, it increases in volume, which leads to pain in the right side. The gallbladder and its ducts also enlarge and begin to compress the abdominal cavity, which also leads to pain. As a result of a lack of oxygen, the work of the heart is disturbed, it occurs either in the left side. Not receiving nutrients, the diaphragm muscle spasms, pain occurs in the upper abdomen. Therefore, people prone to pulmonary diseases should be especially careful when running. When running, you need to breathe evenly and correctly: inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. With spasms in the diaphragm, you need to inhale as deeply as possible and exhale very slowly. You can lean forward to stretch your diaphragm. Thus, the pressure in the diaphragmatic muscle is relieved and the pain recedes;

Pain when running can also be caused by a person ate too much which cannot be done. After all, all the body’s forces are concentrated on digesting and assimilation of food, the stomach and liver work at full capacity, the liver increases in volume to separate and destroy toxins from food. And if the food is also heavy and fatty (for example, fried meat), then the organs are overstrained and signal this with stabbing and cutting pain. Therefore, it is best to eat food 1.5-2 hours before or after a run. Food should be easily digestible: cereals, vegetable salads, fruits. People who are prone to obesity and those who have chronic diseases of the stomach and liver should be especially careful;
Pain when running in the right or left may indicate diseases of internal organs: gallbladder, liver or pancreas. Running provokes excess blood pressure to diseased organs, causing discomfort. In case of cholelithiasis or kidney stones, any sudden movement can dislodge the stones, which injure the walls of the organ, causing severe, persistent pain. There is a danger of peritonitis, so before the race it is better to consult a doctor and have an ultrasound scan.

Important! According to statistics, the main cause of death of people after marathon races is coronary heart disease, which may not make itself felt for many years. When running, when the heart rate and blood pressure increase, the disease worsens sharply.

Abdominal pain when walking

In no case should you ignore abdominal pain, because this can be a harbinger of many diseases. When walking, the abdominal muscles become overstrained, causing an increase in intra-abdominal pressure.

And constant irritation of the diseased organ can have adverse consequences, including peritonitis. Let's look at the main causes of pain that gets worse when walking

Appendicitis. When the appendix is inflamed, the pain is localized mainly in the area and intensifies when walking. It is necessary to urgently call a doctor;
Female gynecological diseases(adnexitis, fibroma, endometriosis, adhesions, ovarian dysfunction) cause pain in the groin, and the pain intensifies when walking. A visit to a gynecologist is mandatory;
In men prostatitis may cause groin pain that increases with walking;
Inguinal hernia usually always at the bottom, worsening when walking. More often detected in men;
Bloating and abdominal pain that gets worse when walking or bending forward may also indicate prolapse. Consultation with a gastroenterologist is necessary.

Useful video

Watch the following video to delve deeper into the issue of abdominal pain during exercise:

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