Muscle Soreness
Lactic acid is a normal byproduct of muscle metabolism, but it can irritate muscles and cause discomfort and soreness. Muscle soreness associated with exercise is known as delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. DOMS can make it difficult to walk, reduce your strength, or make your life uncomfortable for a couple of days.
But lactic acid isn't the only culprit in DOMS. In fact, swelling in the muscle results from an influx of white blood cells, prostaglandins (which are anti-inflammatory), and other nutrients and fluids that flow to the muscles to repair the "damage" after a tough workout.
This type of muscle damage is part of the normal process of growth in the body called anabolism. The swelling and inflammation can build up for days after a workout, and that's why muscle soreness may be worse two, three, or even four days after a workout (it can take up to five days for muscles to heal completely depending on the intensity of the workout).
Is Soreness a Prerequisite for Growth?
Many people want to know if soreness after a workout is necessary to get results. Although there's no evidence to support this idea and individuals certainly get stronger even if they don't get sore, some people just aren't satisfied with their workout unless they're sore, and there may be some rationale for this logic. Remember, there must be microscopic damage to muscle fibers before there can be growth, so if you're sore, it means there was damage and thus growth must not be far behind.
Do Anti-inflammatory medications Work?
The short answer is yes, In a 1993 study of the effect of an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen) on DOMS, researchers gave subjects ibuprofen four hours before weight lifting (pre-lifting group) to subjects given ibuprofen 24 hours after lifting. Results showed that the pre-lifting ibuprofen group reported 40% to 50% less soreness than the after-lifting group, proving in this study that ibuprofen taken before exercise reduced soreness more than taking it after, but it also showed that the after workout group did better than those not given any anti-inflammatory at all.