So you played a terrific game of soccer, attempted exercising after a very long time, possibly lifted some weights in the gym, and ultimately from the next day, you have been experiencing pain and sore muscles for no reason, right? I am certain you must be finding it difficult to stretch your muscles and move around for even a moment - ain't it true? Well, this is known as muscle soreness, and has become a common problem for most people. People suffering from this condition have to deal with uncomfortable pain in their muscles and joints due to overexertion in physical activities. Sometimes, muscle pain could be due to tissue damage, spasms, etc., which could be a result of internal cellular impairment. Symptoms At times, when you experience sore muscles without any reason, and the symptoms appear to be severe, that's the time you give up home remedies, and go consult a doctor. Possible Presentations of Tender Muscles

• If muscles gets sore due to overuse and weariness, such a pain would be intense, and would cause a slight inconvenience in your back, legs, neck, and arms.
• If a muscle pull is presented along with other signs of illness, it could be indicative of a grave health problem.
• If unexplained soreness in conjunction with stiffness in chest, heart palpitations, strokes, attacks, etc., is observed, consult a doctor right away.
• Muscle soreness should not last for more than 3 days, if it does, go get a checkup done as soon as possible.
• Sore muscles, when accompanied by fever and diarrhea, could be due to the disease called trichinosis, which is caused due to consumption of uncooked meat.
• If there is redness in the sore area, it could be a sign of infection.

Immediate action should be taken once you start observing these symptoms. Analyzing the Muscle Pain It is also known as muscle fever or delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). This basically, is the pain and rigidness felt in the muscles, several hours after you have undergone a strenuous workout, say after about 8-24 hours. If your exercise consists of protraction, then experiencing pain in muscles is a common aftereffect. Also, soreness of muscles and joints can also be due to aging, past injuries, or extensive workouts in your day-to-day life. It is vital for us to know, why and how exactly, the pain occurs. The cartilage in our body is located at the end of every joint. When we move our body, the bones tend to get rubbed against each other, and the cartilage between them behaves like a cushion to prevent frictional damage. When a person is young and healthy, the cartilage can be repaired quite easily, but as one grows old, it gets harder to repair it completely. This causes early tiring out. So, it's logical enough that the lesser the cartilage, the more of bone-on-bone friction occurs and ultimately causes inflammation and sharp pain. This could lead to osteoarthritis or fibromyalgia. Another reason for sensitive muscles is strenuous workouts, such as heavy weightlifting, running, working on a farm or on the track, etc. Continuous muscle activity results in the formation and accumulation of lactic acid in the muscle, which leads to irritation and pain. This is also one of the causes of DOMS, thereby making it difficult for people to run, walk, move around, etc,. Also, a few DOMS studies show that due to eccentric muscle contractions, running downhill causes severe muscle damage, causing swelling and soreness. Home Remedies

1. Take a warm-water bath; this will increase the blood flow to the muscles, ultimately diminishing the pain.
2. Once you have exercised or carried out some kind of a workout that had led to the soreness, continue doing the same for another few days (but in a mild way).
3. Rest is the best thing one can do whilst suffering from soreness. This would prevent further wear and tear of your muscles.
4. Stretching is known to be one of the exercises that can relieve muscle pain. It helps to drain the lactic acid and stiffness out of the affected area.
5. Proper and balanced diet should be maintained. For internal rebuilding of damaged tissue, an intake of proteins would be required.
6. If sore muscles are accompanied with a runny nose and a mild fever, you probably have an influenza infection, and hence should start treating it with suitable medications or home remedies.

As suggested in this article, do not stop your exercises, and try to keep yourself active in some way or the other. If you wish to avoid the prolonged discomfort, consult a doctor at the earliest. After you recover, you will notice that your muscles have reformed and strengthened, but make sure that you resume your activities slowly and gradually, in the initial stages of recovery. Disclaimer: This Buzzle article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.