"No pain, no gain," refers to the pain many athletes feel when attempting to gain strength or endurance. However, while some tenderness and soreness in your arms can be expected when weightlifting, chronic pain from a repetitive injury and serious injuries that produce acute pain should be evaluated by a medical professional to prevent further deterioration.
Delayed-onset Muscle Soreness
Weightlifting consists of repeatedly moving a weight using the muscles of your arms, back and chest. To increase muscle mass and strength, a weightlifter must work the muscle to exertion, which causes tiny tears in the muscle fiber. You may experience pain up to 24 hours later -- often the day after you lifted weights. Delayed-onset muscle soreness, also called DOMS, can produce pain ranging from mild soreness to severe, debilitating agony. The soreness level depends on the duration and intensity of the weightlifting session and can last from four to seven days.
Arm Injuries
Pain in the arms after weightlifting can occur in your shoulder, elbow, wrist, forearm or upper arm. Injuries can occur to your muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and bones.
Muscle injury can result from trying to lift a weight that is too heavy. Repeatedly flexing or bending your arm joints can also cause tendinitis, an inflammation of the tendons of the shoulder, elbow or wrist. Improper lifting techniques can cause injury to the joints and nerves in your arm. Repetitive stress can cause one of your arm bones to break.
Serious Injuries
While rare, compartment syndrome can occur as a result of a fracture, muscle rupture or injury to blood vessels while weightlifting. A rotator cuff tear can occur from repeatedly lifting weights overhead. Intense, repetitive weightlifting can cause stress fractures in some athletes.
Treatment
Regular exercise can both prevent and help treat muscle soreness due to DOMS. A 1989 study published in the "Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy" found that high-speed voluntary muscle contractions can help decrease muscle soreness. Anti-inflammatory medicine and other oral analgesics can help reduce inflammation and pain due to some injuries. An accurate diagnosis of your pain should be obtained before attempting to treat any pain that does not subside within four to seven days.
Prevention
While no drugs or techniques prevent DOMS, regular exercise and slowly increasing your intensity can help lessen symptoms. Proper weightlifting technique can help prevent many stress and strain injuries.
References
- IronMagazine.com; Muscular Fatigue During Weight Training; Casey Butt
- "Sports Medicine"; Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: Treatment Strategies and Performance Factors; K. Cheung, et al.; 2003
- DrMirkin.com; What Causes Muscle Soreness?; Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
- "Exercise Physiology"; Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness; Chaira von Perger; 1997
- "Rheumatology"; Chronic Exertional Compartment Syndrome of the Forearms Secondary to Weight Training; S. Jawed, et al.; 2001
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; Rotator Cuff Tears; May 2011
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