“Oh, legs,” thoughts swarm in the head as the body rises up the stairs. “Oh stomach!” - comes to mind when trying to repeat yesterday's shock training. “Oooh, back,” when trying to lift a weight, complements the picture. What is it? Muscle krepature, or delayed muscle pain syndrome, is a muscle reaction to an excessive or unusual load.
Usually, newcomers who have just started training, athletes who have returned to training after a break, and in general all those who have “overloaded” their muscles, get acquainted with krepatura. No one is safe from her - a trivial ride on a bicycle the next day can result in gasps and oohs when getting out of bed.
What is it and where from?
So, krepatura. What is this syndrome and where is it from? At the moment, there are several versions about the causes of this phenomenon: the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles, partial damage to muscle fibers (microtrauma) and a combination of the first and second.
Lactic acid theory
This theory is old enough, its essence is this. During training or other intense physical activity, the muscles lack oxygen, which is supplied by the blood. To obtain energy, the body includes a reserve mechanism, and as a result, lactic acid, and possibly other substances, is produced in the muscles. The resulting sensation is what we call krepatura.
Microtrauma Theory
This second theory says that in muscles that are not trained, the components of muscle fibers (myofibrils) of different lengths are both long and short. During exercise, short myofibrils break. These microtraumas cause inflammation, and as a result, a person feels pain - this is krepatura after training.
Large and unusual loads cause a strong fit, the “bouquet” of sensations depends on what type of load was exerted on the muscles.
With regular and proper training, myofibrils become the same length, and severe pain no longer appears. The key word here is "right."
There is no lump, if the training is carried out correctly
There is another, very common reason for the appearance of microtrauma - incorrectly conducted training. The athlete missed a workout, a hitch, or both. As a result, injured muscles and krepatura. What does it mean?
Proper training necessarily begins with a warm-up. Warm-up - preparing the body for the load, at this stage, the body temperature rises, the metabolism is accelerated, the overall performance of the body increases. In addition, the following occurs:
- the tone of the sympathetic nervous system and the amount of adrenaline in the blood increase, this helps to train more intensively;
- capillaries expand, which accelerates the delivery of oxygen to tissues;
- increases the transmission rate of a nerve impulse;
- increases the elasticity of ligaments and muscles;
- this is a reliable way to avoid injuries and sprains that the athlete receives due to the fact that the muscles are not warm enough.
Warming up increases the effectiveness of the training itself , muscles work better, more intensively and more safely.
After a workout, a hitch is necessary - it allows you to calm the body after exertion, to prevent or reduce pain, to normalize body temperature. Proper training - and muscle strength will not bother.
Ways to "remove" the fittings
Most often, krepatura occurs on the second day after the load and lasts 3-7 days, and this depends on the level of training and on what kind of exercises the person did. If the loads are unusual, there will be a fit. What if there is simply nowhere to reduce the load?
Good stretching
Warm-up and hitch are done, but the next day is still strong. What to do? Well, that means the training was useful. And the pain can be removed or weakened with stretch marks.
Stretching, that is, muscle stretching, is very good at relieving krepature. Light charging also gives a good effect. If the athlete trained the shoulders, stomach and arms, he will be helped by light running.
If there is a leg strength, the same stretching exercises, squats will help. The best effect is given by a combination of exercises: warm-up, after - stretching.
Everything must be done gently and accurately. At first, the pain will interfere, but as the muscles warm up, the strength will recede and weaken. It will become much easier and easier to move.
Hot bath or shower
A hot bath heats muscles very well, accelerates blood flow and helps with feces. The shower is also not bad, but worse than a bath. Hot water warms and relaxes muscle fibers, relieves soreness and makes it possible to relax well, improves blood circulation and metabolic processes in the body.
How to get rid of krepatura? You need to take a shower immediately after training, the next day - a bath or shower. After - a good warm-up and stretching: muscles warmed by heat will work easier, and a warm-up will bring the desired results.
Proper nutrition
Proper nutrition is the best way to stay healthy. It is also a recipe for quick and complete recovery after training. Nutrition depends on the goal - to build muscle, lose weight, achieve something else. If the goal is weight loss, then you should not eat in the first 2-3 hours after class. To preserve muscle mass, it is advisable to take protein and BCAA amino acids.
If there is no goal to lose weight, then in the first 2-3 hours you need to give the body carbohydrates and proteins. Buckwheat, pearl barley, millet, oatmeal, white rice, honey, bananas, and fresh juice are suitable as a source of carbohydrates. As a source of protein - bird, cottage cheese, eggs, low-fat fish.
After and during training, it is advisable to replenish the water balance. For this, ordinary plain water is suitable - you do not need to drink soda, sweet water, coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate drinks and everything that contains caffeine.
Sauna, bath and herbal bath
A wonderful remedy is a phytobath, or a cedar barrel, especially if you supplement its steam with medicinal plants. As an addition, anti-inflammatory and relaxing herbal remedies are suitable. The same applies to saunas and baths, since removing the strength with their help can be even better than in a phytobarrel. Steam is much nicer than stretching through pain. Perhaps, thanks to the bath, the strength will disappear completely, perhaps it will only weaken, but in the end it will still become easier than the “before”.
Both the sauna, and the cedar barrel, and the bath accelerate the metabolism, blood circulation and recovery of the body. You cannot go to the sauna or bath immediately after a hard workout (the heart already got a load), but the next day - what you need.
Russian bath is a magical tool for everyone involved in sports, an effective way to regulate weight, restore muscle elasticity and strength. It tones up the skin, regulates blood pressure in people with hypertension and hypotension, relieves nervous tension, and krepatura recedes in front of it. What this Russian invention just does not do!
According to scientists, the body copes with heat in the bath as well as with heavy physical exertion. The capillaries expand, the blood rushes to the muscles and skin, the minute volume of the heart grows by 150%. The contrast of heat and cold (cold pool, snow) gives the maximum load on the cardiovascular system.
Exposure to steam, broom, high temperature very well affects the muscles. Moreover, the effect of the bath is much stronger if you add massage to it.
Massage
Massage in itself is a very good remedy. It should be used even if there are no special reasons. Proper massage helps to quickly achieve a sports form and maintain it; it is able to significantly develop the flexibility of joints and muscles, improve blood circulation, relieve slight inflammation and muscle tension. This is an excellent remedy for krepatura, only you need to use it not when it is already there, but after training.
How to remove feces with massage? The most effective and best here is sports massage. It can completely remove the fittings, it may not completely, but it will definitely become easier. This type of massage helps relieve muscle tension and improves well-being, weakens the inflammation in the muscles that occurs in the body in response to microtrauma.
Sports massage uses different techniques, the choice of a particular one depends on the purpose of the training and its type. It should be carried out by a person who knows how and what needs to be done in each specific case. It is most effective to do such a massage 1.5-4 hours after training. Undesirable - after 8-10 hours or the next day. But there is another way to cope with such a thing as krepatura. What is this way?
Medicines
There are no special medicines “for krepatura”, but there are anti-inflammatory ointments and painkillers. Among them there are no "best", "average" and "bad", each person has their own preferences. Someone helps one, someone else.
How to get rid of krepatura with ointment? From what is sold in pharmacies, you can use Ben-Gay, Ketonal, Dolobene (gel), Voltaren (gel). Espol ointment works well. In general, you can use any ointment for myositis, but first you should carefully read the instructions (as with any medicine).
Gels, and even more so painkillers, should not be abused - it is more useful to "treat" the creature with a bath, massage and exercise.