A little bit of muscle soreness after a workout is your body\u2019s natural reaction to exercise. In fact, a little bit of inflammation is part of how the body signals that it\u2019s going to rebuild. Especially when you\u2019re new to working out \u2013 even if the exercise is gentle yoga or moderate-paced walking \u2013 little tears in the muscles are how they grow back bigger and stronger.<\/p>\n
But pain is a different matter entirely. It\u2019s important not to ignore your body when it\u2019s signaling pain. It can be a sign of injury and your body\u2019s way of warning you to take a break and let it heal.<\/p>\n
How can you tell the difference between muscle soreness or injury? Here are the signs that could distinguish the two and what to do about it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s normal to have some stiffness around a muscle you worked out. But swelling around a joint after a workout is a red flag. Any stiffness around joints in the knees, hips, ankles, or lower back is also concerning.<\/p>\n
If joint or muscle stiffness is impairing your ability to walk, you should get in touch with your doctor.<\/p>\n
Soreness usually occurs one or two days after the workout. On the other hand, injuries are much more immediate. The pain from injury usually occurs during the workout or directly afterward. Examples where you feel immediate pain include making a misstep while running or overexerting your shoulder while lifting weights.<\/p>\n
Regardless of how much you warm up or stretch, an injury won\u2019t get less painful. For example, doing forward bends is not going to heal a pulled hamstring faster. In fact, the injury will probably feel worse as you warm up and will continue to do so if you try to work out.<\/p>\n
If you notice a mild injury, the typical recommendation is the RICE method:<\/p>\n