RSM-SPM-S002
Written by Hironori Ikeda, MSc Sports Medicine
RSM International Academy · Chiang Mai, Thailand
Sports Massage clinical guides → Soreness 24–48 Hours After Training: DOMS & Load Management
Less soreness after massage and readiness for another hard session are different outcomes. Record them separately when reviewing delayed-onset muscle soreness after unfamiliar or demanding exercise.
In This Article
- In This Article
- 1. Soreness Relief and Training Decisions
- Confirm the Training Context
- Agree on a Comfort Goal
- Check Function Separately
- 2. Compare Soreness With the Next Training Demand
- 3. What to Keep in the Re-Test
- Related RSM Clinical Blogs
- Study Sports Massage at RSM
1. Soreness Relief and Training Decisions
Confirm the Training Context
Ask what changed in the recent session and whether discomfort is diffuse or focal. Timing alone cannot rule out injury. Severe weakness, unusual swelling or dark urine needs urgent medical assessment rather than a recovery massage.
Agree on a Comfort Goal
For a suitable uncomplicated presentation, a brief, comfortable session may aim to improve the person’s experience of soreness. Record contact duration and tolerance. Greater pressure is not evidence of a better recovery stimulus, and treatment discomfort should not be interpreted as toxins leaving the muscle.
Check Function Separately
Repeat a simple tolerable task under the original conditions, such as comfortable bodyweight movement. Note soreness, effort and movement separately. A lower soreness score does not demonstrate restored strength, repaired tissue or reduced injury risk.
Plan the next training decision with the athlete’s wider programme and relevant clinician or coach. Record how symptoms behave later rather than relying only on the immediate response on the table.
2. Compare Soreness With the Next Training Demand
Distinguish diffuse post-exercise soreness from a focal injury complaint, then define the next training demand. A comfortable bodyweight squat asks less of the athlete than repeated sprinting or loaded deceleration. Use a familiar, tolerable movement for the session check rather than testing maximal performance through pain.
3. What to Keep in the Re-Test
If soreness feels lower but the warm-up movement remains limited, report both results. The athlete and coach still need a load decision; pleasant massage is not a return-to-training clearance.
Related RSM Clinical Blogs
▷ Soreness 24–48 Hours After Training: DOMS & Load Management — Sports Massage · Explore the full symptom assessment and treatment decisions.
▷ Sore After Hard Training: Recovery, Sleep & Load — Sports Medicine Massage · Compare a related clinical question from another assessment angle.
▷ Sore Legs After Long Training: Load, Soreness & Recovery — Sports Massage · Connect the contact finding with movement and load.
Study Sports Massage at RSM
Develop the anatomical comparison, contact control and re-assessment skills behind this note. View Sports Massage course details. Explore the clinical guide. Check the official course schedule.
For the landmark and clinical palpation foundation, explore the Trigger Point Therapy course.
About the Author
Hironori Ikeda, MSc Sports Medicine is the lead instructor at RSM International Academy. His teaching connects functional anatomy, clinical palpation, treatment decisions and re-assessment.