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Zuletzt aktualisiert am 29.04.2026
We probably all know what muscle soreness is and how it feels. And most people also know that it often occurs after a strenuous workout. But how does muscle soreness actually develop? What exactly happens there, and what does a hangover actually do to my muscles?
We'll get to the bottom of all the questions and also debunk some widespread myths – it's going to be exciting!
Your knowledge to go: How does muscle soreness develop?
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Unusual or intense stress (during training) causes tiny cracks in the muscle fibers.
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In the days that follow, liquid seeps through the cracks, and [something] forms. Edema, the area is inflamed - the Pains They usually occur with a delay of 12–36 hours.
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Muscle soreness usually lasts some days and is not a measure of training quality, but simply shows that your muscles need to repair minor injuries.
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Not only is the question "How does muscle soreness develop?" relevant, but also "How can one alleviate muscle soreness?" prevent? ”.
How does muscle soreness develop?
Muscle soreness usually occurs during exercise, but it can also happen after other unusual exertion. How exactly does that work?
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When we train and perform movements that are unusual or very intense for our bodies, that is one high stress for our bodies. Especially when weights like dumbbells are involved, or when the movements are performed very frequently or for long periods, our muscles have to perform at their peak.
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If this stress to If the intensity increases, our muscles can become overloaded or overstretched and small cracks These tears are tiny, but they pose a serious problem for our muscles!
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In the next few days, the following will occur: Inflammation in this area, Water penetrates through the tears in the muscle fibers a and the muscles can swelling.
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There's even more to it: The fluid that penetrates the muscle tissue collects in the muscle fibers in the form of... Edema. These will keep getting bigger and eventually they can on the nerve endings in the surrounding tissue press. That's the pain that keeps you glued to the sofa.
This also explains why the familiar pain doesn't appear immediately: it takes some time for these edemas to form – only about 12-36 hours after exposure The pain occurs. -
Now you are at Highlight of muscle soreness. But don't worry, your body will take care of the healing. Now make sure you take care of your to protect the body and give your muscles time to recover.
If you've already switched off during "intense stress", here's a simple explanation – even children can easily understand it:
How does muscle soreness develop? | Simply explained
We imagine our Muscles are like lots and lots of rubber bands together. These rubber bands are very stretchy and durable – they can withstand a lot. But if you... pulls too far apart or pulls too tightly too quickly, individual rubber bands can small cracks We need to get these positions now. repair, so that the rubber parts can be used properly again and don't get damaged further.This takes some time, and during this time you shouldn't move the rubber bands too much, otherwise it's really difficult to repair them.
Once the rubber bands are whole again, you can really get going again – whether playing football, in the gym or in the stairwell.
So, do you understand how muscle soreness develops?
Muscle soreness – How long does it last?
Okay, it's already happened, you have terrible muscle soreness and everything hurts like hell. You can barely move and you're just waiting for the day you can walk into the kitchen without groaning to get yourself a... snack to get. It's already too late to answer the question "How does muscle soreness develop?"
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Now you and everyone living with you are probably wondering: How much longer will this last? How long the tomcat stays with you varies greatly and depends on factors such as... Extent of the damage, your body's ability to regenerate and more. The hangover usually lasts between 48 and 72 hours Other experts speak of 3-7 days. The Pain peak You can usually reach it after 24-48 hours. After that, it usually gets better and you'll soon be fully recovered!
Good News: There are a few things you can do to help your body heal. But—and this is crucial to understand—there's no magic cure for sore muscles. And anyone who tells you otherwise is talking nonsense. Just like a small scratch on your skin, sore muscles simply need time to heal. After all, it's a minor injury. And no matter how many creams you apply, how much you cool, or how much you eat, healing simply takes time. We can only support the process and make it a little easier for our bodies.
You can find more information and valuable tips and tricks in our article. What helps against muscle soreness?
Very important: If you still have extreme muscle soreness after 7 days and don't notice any improvement, you should carefully monitor the pain, focus more on recovery, and give your body complete rest. If you're still thinking, "Help! My muscle soreness won't go away!", you should probably see your doctor to make sure everything else is okay. It's possible that what you perceive as muscle soreness is actually an injury that needs treatment. In that case, all the articles about "How does muscle soreness develop?" won't help you.
Why do we get sore muscles?
The causes of muscle soreness have already been described. But why do we typically get muscle soreness?
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Muscle soreness after training or muscle soreness after strength training: Clearly, new exercises, heavy weights, or too rapid increases can lead to a hangover.
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Muscle soreness after endurance sports: Even if you simply go for a long jog or bike ride, you can overload your muscles – especially if it's been a while since your last bike ride.
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Unusual or intense movements in everyday life: How does muscle soreness develop in everyday life? Quite simply: Are you renovating and painting the ceiling? Or have you just moved and now have to walk up to the 5th floor all the time? For your body, it makes no difference whether you're exercising at the gym or using your muscles intensively in everyday life – exertion is exertion.
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Muscle soreness from coughing: The trigger here isn't intense training. Instead, you might have a cold and be coughing almost constantly. But even in this situation, muscles that are rarely used are activated and heavily stressed. It's practically an extremely intense workout.
While you can't really influence the latter, and some everyday situations are unavoidable, you should be concerned if you constantly have sore muscles. In that case, consider how you train (when, how intensely, which muscles, etc.) and try making adjustments. There are also a few tips. & Tricks to prevent muscle soreness. Learn more in our large article about muscle soreness.
Because – and we can't say this often enough – sore muscles are not good.
Let's continue with our myth check:
Muscle soreness myths debunked
Many myths surround not only the question "How does muscle soreness develop?". A lot of information circulates on the internet that isn't necessarily true. We'll shed some light on the subject:
Myth 1: Muscle soreness is caused by a buildup of lactate.
It used to be thought that muscle soreness was caused by a buildup of lactic acid, or lactate. Today we know that this isn't true – but the myth persists stubbornly on the internet.
Myth 2: Muscle soreness is a sign of good training and a prerequisite for muscle growth.
No! Muscle soreness simply indicates that your workout was very intense. How effective the workout actually was is independent of muscle soreness. You can build muscle even without soreness – perhaps even more effectively, because you don't have a forced break.
Myth 3: Stretching helps with muscle soreness
While very gentle stretching, or rather mobilization, can be beneficial for sore muscles, intense stretching is the exact opposite. You can further overload your muscles and delay healing.
Myth 4: You can simply continue training when you have sore muscles.
As long as you have symptoms due to your muscle soreness, you should definitely take it easy and not train the affected muscles any further. Exercise with sore muscles It's a really delicate matter and in the worst case can lead to further injuries and longer periods of absence from training.
Why not use your time when your muscles are sore for shopping?
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Conclusion
Wow, now you're a real muscle soreness pro! Maybe this will help you avoid soreness in the future.
Speaking of hangovers: What exactly does muscle soreness have to do with the Cat What to do? Absolutely nothing. The term comes from the Latin word catarrhus, which translates to flow of mucus. People used to think that this was the cause of the intense pain. Over time, the word evolved, and today we know this unwanted training companion as muscle soreness.
literature & Sources
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Dietger, M. (2022). Muscle soreness. In: Dietger, M. (2022). Fit and healthy from 1 to 100 with nutrition and exercise. Current medical knowledge on health. 5th edition.
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Heinrich, C. (2021). Relieving and preventing muscle soreness. https://www.apotheken-umschau.de
/my-body/muscles/relieve-muscle-soreness
-and-prevent-712035.html#what-helps-
against muscle soreness -
Konopka, Dr. P. (2019). Muscle soreness – Where it comes from and what helps against it. In: Health All About Health, 31(1).
Do you have any questions? Then feel free to write me a message. Mail - I look forward to hearing from you! :)
The information shared in this article does not replace individual medical or nutritional advice.
