Getting to the bottom of it – muscle soreness or fascia soreness?
Is it muscle soreness…
A few years ago, lactic acid was seen as the main cause for muscle soreness. Heavy muscle work leads to the creation of lactic acid which causes the muscles to overacidify. Lactic acid, however, is far quicker breaken down than the muscle soreness needs to fully come into play. Often times, you can feel the worst muscle soreness two days after your workout. At that point, the lactic acid is all gone. Thus, this hypothesis isn’t sustainable anymore. Nowadays, science represents the hypothesis that it is micro-ruptures, little tears in the muscle fibers, that can result from overloading the musculature. This occurs especially during (too) great excentric loads like slowing movements during a mountain run. In order to speed up regeneration, the healing of the muscle fibers, and to alleviate the pain, moderate movement and warmth (sauna, bath) can help to improve blood circulation. With constant training you can avoid muscle soreness because you strengthen susceptible muscles and tissue structures and get them used to the loads. But you can quickly get muscle soreness again when you include new and intense movements into your workout.…or rather fascia soreness?
It is far more likely that the pain of soreness actually comes from the fascia. Fascia is what we used to call connective tissue. There is no consistent definition in the literature. To put it simple, connective tissue is everything that binds and connects. As an example you can see the lumbar-dorsal fascia which (not only) spans over the (lower) back in the picture below:Function | Explanation |
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Connective function | Muscles, organs, and skin are connected to the neighboring tissue by fascial structures. A network in your body without start and end. They connect muscles with their neighbor muscles and, thus, connect the whole movement system with the passive locomotor system or with the inner organs. |
Protective function | The connective tissue forms a mechanic barrier against intruding foreign bodies and can absorb and distribute forces or outer stresses. Thus, they are also able to absorb energy and to release it explosively. |
Defensive function | Inside the connective tissue there are phagocytizing cells. When our immune system is attacked these cells become active. They are also known as scavenger cells. |
Informative function | The connective tissue has a deep neuroplexus that works as an information carrier and mediator in the detection of stimuli and their forwarding. Fascia play a major role for proprioception (body perception, where is my body located in space and where are my limbs in relation to each other?) and can react to different types of stimulation with tension or relaxation. |
Transport function | In the connective tissue, the arteries are the transport channel over which nutrients are transported to their destination. At the same time, waste products are transported to the venous vascular system or the lymphatic vessels over the connective tissue. |
- Mobility and tensile force of the muscle fibers that run through this tissue area can be impaired and reduced.
- Nerve endings that lie in the affected area can be contused which could lead to great pain.
Sehr toller Beitrag !
Ich dachte auch immer, dass Muskelkater durch eine Art “Übersäuerung” entsteht,
aber das Muskelkater durch kleine Risse, innerhalb der Muskelnfasern, entsteht, wusste ich noch nicht.
Was mir auch sehr gut gefallen hat, dass du das Mythos mit dem Dehnen nach dem Training wiederlegst.
Danke, für den tollen Beitrag ! Macht weiter so! Mit besten Grüßen Das Team von Muskelaufbau!