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We have all experienced sore muscles for various reasons, and some soreness is never going to be avoided. However, understanding why muscles become sore may be a first step to diminishing the intensity of muscle soreness, as it is not inevitable that we have to always experience it. Proper diet and exercise can go a long way to relieving much of the discomfort that goes with sore muscle pain. Some of the factors that trigger sore muscles are: 1. Aging and inactivity. Connective tissue binds muscle to bone by tendons, binds bone to bone by ligaments, and covers and unites muscles with sheaths called fasciae. With age, the tendons, ligaments, and fasciae become less extensible. The tendons, with their densely packed fibers, are the most difficult to stretch. The easiest are the fasciae. But if they are not stretched to improve joint mobility, the fasciae shorten, placing undue pressure on the nerve pathways in the muscle fasciae. Many aches and pains are the result of nerve impulses traveling along these pressured pathways. 2. Immobility. Sore muscles or muscle pain can be excruciating, owing to the body’s reaction to a cramp or ache. In this reaction, called the splinting reflex, the body automatically immobilizes a sore muscle by making it contract. Thus, a sore muscle can set off a vicious cycle pain. First, an unused muscle becomes sore from exercise or being held in an unusual position. The body then responds with the splinting reflex, shortening the connective tissue around the muscle. This cause more pain, and eventually the whole area is aching. One of the most common sites for this problem is the lower back. Lack of potassium can be a cause, and to understand banana’s health benefits will benefit your battle with sore muscles. 3. Too much exercise. If you have the philosophy of “no pain, no gain”, you probably are inclined to push your muscles to the breaking point. The problem with most people is that they exercise too much thinking that it is the fastest and the surest way to lose weight. Until they ache, they tend to ignore their muscles and connective tissue, even though they are what quite literally holds the body together. 4. Muscle spasms. These painful, involuntary muscle contractions can occur during or after physical exertion, and can certainly cause muscles to be sore. The medical community is still in the theory stages as to the causes of muscle spasms, the first theory of which spasms are caused by dehydration and electrolyte depletion. The second is called the muscle reflex theory, which is a little more complicated. It says that long bouts of exercise will cause an increase in the contraction reflex and a decrease in the over-contraction prevention reflex in the fatigued muscles. The change in the ratio of reflexes can bring on muscle spasms. It is important to know the limitations and capacity of our muscles to prevent them from getting sore. Proper hydration, eating the right foods to prevent electrolyte depletion, and staying fit by exercising regularly at a normal range will be the keys to diminishing muscle soreness. You can cut down muscle pain with a good diet and some exercise, but there are things you should know that go into the equation. Potassium and bananas are an important ingredient in your diet that will help control muscle spasms and pain. Jim O'Connell is a health enthusiast and writer living in Chicago.
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