Hi dancers, and welcome back to The Reel Deal! This week we’re talking about dealing with sore muscles. Sore muscles are a normal experience for athletes, and they are often nothing to worry about. But especially with the colder weather, getting sore muscles is much easier, so knowing how to get them feeling better is important!

What Causes Sore Muscles 

Sore muscles can be caused by many different things, such as:

• Training longer than normal

• Learning a new skill that uses different muscles than you are used to

• Dancing after taking some time off

• Dancing without being properly warmed up

• Not cooling down properly after a class

• A tough class or intense workout

All of these examples put extra strain on your muscles, which causes small tears in the muscle fibers. The resulting inflammation and repair process, which ultimately strengthens the muscles, is what makes them sore. You may have heard the phrase ‘a sore muscle is a strong muscle’ before. While this is kind of true, not all soreness increases your strength.

It’s important to distinguish soreness from misuse and soreness from productive training. If you skip warming up or cooling down (misuse), you will probably experience muscle soreness, but the risk of injury increases. This could cause severe strain or damage, like pulled muscles. On the other hand, intense and well-structured training challenges your muscles intentionally. This gradually helps your muscles grow and get stronger, especially when combined with proper recovery and consistent effort. 

My Muscles are Sore… Now What?

Helping your sore muscles recover isn’t difficult, but it does take some time and effort. Before I talk about the more specific ways to address sore muscles, I want to remind you that SLEEP and WATER are very important for recovery! Make sure you are getting enough rest every night and staying hydrated! 

For newly sore muscles (Less than 2 days):

• Ice: Ice the sore muscle for 10-20 minutes. The cold will numb the area and relieve any dull pain, and it will also help reduce the inflammation that’s causing the sore feeling.

• Light stretching: Stretching sore muscles won’t cause more damage as long as you are gentle. Stick to static stretches, and only hold them where you feel a light stretch.

• Gentle foam rolling: If you want to foam roll your sore muscles, be sure to use a less dense roller and use a little less pressure during the first 2 days.

• Can I dance? Yes, you can still dance on sore muscles, just be aware of how they are feeling and be careful. Make sure you are warmed up before dancing, do not push sore muscles too far during class, and be sure to stretch again after dancing. 

For lasting sore muscles (More than 2 days):

• You can continue using the methods above.

• Heat: When your muscles have been sore for more than 2 days, you can also try heat. Put a heating pad or hot towel on the muscle for 10-20 minutes. The heat will increase the blood flow in the area and reduce stiffness, which can help your muscle recover. It is important to NOT use heat in the first 2 days because it can cause more inflammation during that time. 

• Massage: Massaging sore muscles can help alleviate soreness. I like to pair heat and massage. I find that massaging sore muscles helps more after they’ve had time with heat because they are less stiff. You can find self-massage techniques for different muscles online, like this YouTube channel: Rachel Richards Massage

• Kinesio Tape: I like to wait 2 days before I use any kinesio tape on sore muscles because taping with too much tension (which is easy to do on accident) can hinder recovery. When using kinesio tape, make sure you follow a tutorial and do not over-stretch the tape. 

• Can I dance? Yes, you can still dance if your muscles have been sore for a few days, just continue to be aware of how they are feeling and be careful.

Preventing Sore Muscles

The best way to deal with sore muscles is to take preventative measures so that they aren’t getting sore in the first place. One of the biggest mistakes I see dancers make is not properly warming up and cooling down, and these are the best times to help prevent sore muscles. 

Warming Up:

A proper warm up increases your heart rate and gradually gets your muscles ready to go through consistent movement. Imagine you have a frozen rubber band and go stretch it without warming it in your hands first: it will snap. Your muscles are kind of like that rubber band. I like to do gradually increasing cardio movements, for example, starting with a light jog and gradually ramping up to high knees. When you are stretching during a warm up, stick to dynamic stretches. Dynamic stretches are stretches that keep you moving, such as hip circles.

Cooling Down:

A proper cool down lowers your heart rate and gradually cools your muscles down. Imagine you have a really hot plate and you drop it into ice water without letting it cool first: it will crack. Your muscles are kind of like that plate. This is why cool downs are especially important during cold weather because going outside into the cold with warm muscles can cool them too quickly and cause soreness. During a cool down, you want to take deep breaths to help lower your heart rate and stick to static stretches. Static stretches are stretches that you hold for 10-40 seconds or so, whatever feels good for you. You can stretch more deeply during this time because your muscles will be flexible from dancing/ exercising. Choose static stretches that specifically counter the muscles you targeted during your training. 

Remember that some soreness can indicate that you are challenging yourself and building muscle, but that soreness should not be causing any intense pain or limiting you from dancing how you normally would. A proper warm up and cool down will help protect yourself from injury so that you can continue to grow your strength.

And as I mentioned earlier, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated is also important for preventing soreness!

Takeaways

Sore muscles are normal for dancers, especially when you are working really hard or learning new skills. Soreness comes from pushing your muscles past their current limit. Doing this carefully can help your muscles get stronger, but misusing your muscles and pushing them too far can cause more severe soreness or even pain/ injury. Some ways to help your sore muscles recover include ice, light stretching, foam rolling, heat, and self-massages. And if you want to prevent sore muscles before they start, make sure you pay close attention to how you warm up and cool down. I hope you enjoyed today’s topic!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or a student in medicine, so all of this advice is based on personal experience. Below are some more detailed articles about managing sore muscles for anyone interested in the science!

• Sore Muscles in Irish Dance

• Managing Muscle Pain, Soreness, and Aches

• Sore muscles after activity: What it means and relief