Have you ever wondered if you were hurting yourself during your workouts? When it comes to working out, pain is not always a bad sign—but knowing the difference between normal muscle soreness and injury-related pain is key to staying safe and making progress. Let’s break it down:
What is Soreness?
Soreness, often referred to as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), is a completely normal part of exercise, especially when you’re trying new movements or increasing intensity. Muscles during workouts are micro-tearing to grow back bigger and stronger. It usually:
- Feels dull, tight, or achy
- Appears 12–48 hours after exercise
- Is located in the muscle belly (not the joint)
- Improves gradually in a few days
- Often feels better once you warm up and move around
Soreness means your muscles are repairing, adapting, and growing stronger.
What is Hurt?
Pain that signals injury is very different from normal soreness. If you experience pain that:
- Feels sharp, stabbing, or sudden
- Occurs during the workout (not just after)
- Is located in a joint, tendon, or ligament
- Gets worse with movement or doesn’t improve after warming up
- Is accompanied by swelling, bruising, or loss of strength/range of motion
then you may be dealing with an injury, not just soreness. This type of pain is your body’s warning system telling you to stop and pay attention.
Quick Rule of Thumb
Dull, even, delayed pain = Soreness (normal)
Sharp, sudden, joint/tendon pain = Injury (seek rest or medical advice)
How to Manage Each
Soreness: Light movement, stretching, hydration, rest, and proper nutrition help recovery. Over time, your body adapts and soreness becomes less intense.
Hurt: Stop the activity immediately. It may be a load tolerance, a form issue or something that needs further evaluation.
Bottom Line
Soreness is a good thing, it is your body getting stronger. Hurt is your body asking you to stop. The key to long-term fitness is learning to tell the difference and respecting your limits while still challenging yourself. If you believe you are hurting yourself, it may be time to get assessed to see how you can work out better, more efficiently and with less pain.
Jake Curran
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