Andrea Ukleja
Product Designer

Muscle soreness, more accurately referred to as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) has two main causes.

1. The buildup of lactic acid In the muscle, which is a byproduct of muscle metabolism.

2. Swelling in the muscle compartment.

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While lactic acid can cause initial soreness, its effects are usually alleviated after a few hours. Despite this, people may still experience soreness for up to five days after strenuous exercise. When muscles are     over-exercised - either accidentally (in the case of those who perform movements they are not used to) or on purpose (in the case of athletes who are training to get stronger) – they experience microscopic tears. When the muscles tear, white blood cells, prostaglandins, and other nutrients flow to the muscles to repair them. It is this process of damage and repair which causes muscle growth and increased strength in athletes. It is also this same process of increased nutrient flow to the muscles that causes swelling. The combined effects of the muscle tearing and the swelling of nutrients are what contribute to extended muscle soreness. (1)

As a competitive athlete myself, I am very familiar with the effects of strenuous workouts. I used my own experiences, as well as those of my teammates and peers to better understand my problem space. I also used these interviews and additional research to learn the common methods used to relieve muscle soreness, their effectiveness and shortcomings, and the specific user needs that my design would have to address.

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