Summer in Washington is peak everything: hiking, trail running, climbing, paddling, cycling, backpacking, sailing, mountaineering. People are moving more, pushing harder, and doing things their bodies haven't done since last season. And right around now, a familiar question starts coming up constantly: is this normal soreness, or did I actually hurt something?
It's one of the most important questions an active person can learn to answer accurately. Training through actual injury is risky. But stopping every time you feel sore means you'll never make progress. Here's how to tell the difference.
What normal muscle soreness feels like
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the achy, heavy, stiff feeling that usually peaks 24 to 72 hours after a workout. It happens when you've challenged your muscles with something new or more intense than usual, causing microscopic muscle fiber damage that your body then repairs and rebuilds stronger.
DOMS typically:
- Feels like a dull, generalized ache across a muscle group, not a pinpoint pain
- Is symmetrical: both legs sore after squats, both shoulders sore after a hard paddle, for example
- Improves with gentle movement and warms up during activity
- Fades within a few days without specific treatment
- Doesn't meaningfully limit your range of motion
If this sounds like what you're experiencing, your body is adapting. That's a good thing.
Warning signs that it might be an injury
Injuries feel different from soreness. Here's what to pay attention to:
- Sharp, stabbing, or shooting pain, especially during movement
- Pain localized to a very specific spot (you can point to it with one finger)
- Swelling, bruising, or warmth around a joint or tissue
- Pain that gets worse with activity rather than better
- A pop or snap sensation at the time of onset
- Significant loss of range of motion or weakness on one side compared to the other
- Symptoms that persist beyond 5 to 7 days without improvement
Any of these warrant a closer look. That doesn't mean it's serious, but it does mean it shouldn't be ignored.
The gray zone: when you're not sure
The line between soreness and injury isn't always clean. Tendon issues, stress reactions, and some muscle strains can feel ambiguous for days. And just because something doesn't hurt acutely doesn't mean it isn't being aggravated over time. Overuse injuries often develop quietly before they demand your attention, which is especially common when people ramp up activity quickly at the start of summer.
A few rules of thumb for the gray zone:
- If the pain is present at rest, not just during exercise, take it seriously
- If the pain is changing your movement patterns or causing you to compensate, get it assessed
- If it's the same pain in the same spot every time you train, that's a pattern worth addressing
Should you train through it?
For genuine DOMS: yes, generally. Light movement, staying active, and even training the same muscle groups again with appropriate intensity can actually speed up recovery. Sitting still often makes soreness worse.
For a suspected injury: it depends entirely on what the injury is, where it is, and how you're moving. This is exactly where working with a physical therapist can save you months of trial and error. A good PT doesn't just tell you to stop. They help you figure out what you can still do, and how to modify training to allow healing while keeping you moving.
The bottom line
Your body communicates with you constantly. Learning to interpret those signals accurately, rather than either ignoring them or catastrophizing, is one of the most valuable skills you can develop as an active person.
Soreness means you worked hard. Injury means something needs attention. Knowing the difference keeps you in the game long-term.
Not sure which one you're dealing with? That's what we're here for. Book a session and let's figure it out together.
In your corner, Dr. Marlisa
