The worst thing that could happen when you renew your commitment to exercising is sore quads after running.
The pain is just something else. It sends you off the box, and for a minute, you consider doing away with running.
Usually, the quadriceps – the four muscles in the front upper thigh – develop soreness. This happens when you run faster and put the quads more into action than they are used to.
This builds stress on the cells around the quads, and microtears result in the quads, which cause the soreness. However, after a while, they become resistant.
IS IT OK TO RUN WITH SORE QUADS?
You will likely develop sore quads after running for the first time or after a while.
The big question that comes after you experience deep thigh pain after running whether continuing with the exercise is a good decision.
What informs this decision is assessing if it is just muscle soreness, which is a result of micro-tears medically known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) or something bigger.
Physiologists diagnosed the soreness in two bits. It could be stiffness with some pain for a day or two after an intense run, or it could be sharper pain in the quads, which could be a pulled muscle.
In such a case, you are advised not to hit the ground and seek treatment immediately.
Steven Mayer, MD, sports medicine specialist at the Northwestern Medicine Running Clinic, recommends that you still run if it does not make the pain or quad soreness worse.
It should not be intense thought to enable the injury to recover faster.
He adds that from an individual point of view, if you feel you should stay off the tracks for a while until the pain is gone, it is a good choice.
WHY DO YOUR QUADS HURT AFTER RUNNING?
After running, Sore quads are caused by several factors, and sore quads after hill running are among the biggest reasons.
When you do an uphill run and wind it down by a downhill run, the strain put on your quads when doing the downhill quad is untold.
Due to gravity, the quads take more impact bodyweight than when running on a flat surface, Jenni Nettik, a running coach in Denver, Colorado, explains.
It causes micro-tears in the muscles, and soreness comes in.
Tight hips and weak glutes are other reasons why you have your legs in agony after running.
WHAT MUSCLES SHOULD BE SORE AFTER A RUN
The movement of the legs is aided by a set of muscles that develop soreness when strained.
Quadriceps, hamstrings, and leg muscles all work together to enable accelerated movement.
However, the quads develop soreness after an intense run, which your body is not used to. Delayed onset muscle soreness comes in the form of micro-tears, which cause the soreness in the quads.
10 EASY WAYS TO RELIEVE SORE QUADS AFTER RUNNING
1. STRETCH YOUR BODY AFTER A RUN
Sore quads after running never hit you in an instant. You do the run and confidently hop on the bed, happy about your success.
It is not the following morning taking a tiny step is countered by pain. This, however, can be addressed by sore quad stretches.
It is recommended you have a 10-minute static stretching with the area of focus being the quads, hamstrings, calves, and hips.
2. TAKE AN ICE BATH OR USE AN ICE PACK
It needs tonnes of guts to take an ice bath. But the world all over, runners have been taking ice baths to relieve the pain from soreness.
Another friendlier option is using an ice pack for 15 minutes to reduce soreness on affected areas, which are the quads in the things.
Swimming in cold water also helps in reducing the soreness.
3. TAKE MORE CARBS AND PROTEINS
When you subject your body to a hard run, muscles rebuild glycogen stores in the first 30 minutes of the run, which causes muscle soreness.
To avoid this, taking a meal with moderate amounts of proteins and carbs reduces the muscles’ soreness and stiffness.
Take 1 gram of protein to 3 grams of carbohydrates, or try a smoothie of fruits and yogurt or a protein shake.
4. STAY ACTIVE IN MOVING
When you develop sore quads after running, the best remedy is to exercise mildly because it speeds up recovery. If you stay inactive, the stiffness grows stronger.
You can run mildly or cycle as you recover.
5. HAVE A WARM-UP BEFORE A RUN
While recovering from sore quads, a 10-minute warm-up is recommended. Stretches should follow this to ease the pressure in the quads, calves, hamstring, and hips.
The stiffness of the muscles goes away as your body starts the run.
6. HAVE SOME YOGA LESSONS
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) comes as a result of stress build up in the quads. Yoga is a good relaxer as you work the affected muscles in different poses. The yoga should not be intense.
7. DO PRE-RUN GLUTEN ROUTINE
Weak glutes are a causative factor for sore quads after running. The logic behind this is that glutes produce more power and stability when running.
Due to inactivity, the glutes turn off, and when we run, they are under pressure.
However, performing the pre-run glute routine helps in preparing the muscles for a run.
8. MASSAGE
Massaging the affected sore quads after running effectively reduces the soreness. It also increases the blood flow as well as oxygen circulation in the muscles.
Massaging helps reduce pressure and tension in the muscles, which makes them loose, and the stiffness is gone instantly.
9. STAY HYDRATED
More water in the body plays an important role in easing the soreness in the muscle.
When the body is hydrated, water moves to different parts of the body and eliminates toxins that buildup during the muscle repair process.
10. GET ENOUGH REST
Taking enough rest following the development of sore quads after running is a good idea.
When you engage your body in an intense workout, it requires time to shed off the pressure and keeping the muscles healthy.
When you take a hard run, lay off the following day, and if you cannot, have light exercises.
This reduces stress in the quads and promotes faster healing.
CONCLUSION
It is possible to keep off the stinging pain from sore quads with easy home remedies after running.
All you need is a little bit of knowledge on how to handle the situation without staying off the tracks for a lifetime.
Moderation is also key when you embark on a hard run. When all these tips are put into place, you will come off the soreness faster than you even got them.
[related_posts_by_tax posts_per_page="4"]
