Sore After the Gym? When It’s Just DOMS And When It’s Something More

There’s a fine line between a good workout and a brewing injury.

You Crushed Your Workout… But Now You Can’t Sit, Lift, or Walk Properly?

Soreness after a workout is expected — especially when you’ve pushed hard, changed routines, or added new lifts. But how sore is too sore? And when does “DOMS” stop being normal and start signalling something more serious?

At Clinical Physio Solutions, we help active adults across Burwood, Eastgardens, Top Ryde, and Newington understand the difference — and recover smarter.

If you’ve searched “sore muscles after gym won’t go away”, “DOMS vs injury”, or “gym pain physio near me”, here’s what you need to know.

What Is DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)?

DOMS is that achy, stiff feeling you get 24–72 hours after a new or intense session. It’s caused by micro-tears in the muscle fibres — part of the body’s normal repair process.

DOMS usually feels like:

Muscle stiffness and soreness

Slight tenderness when touched or stretched

Reduced strength temporarily

Lasts 2–4 days max

Improves with movement and light activity

✅ Search terms: “how long does DOMS last”, “why are my legs sore after squats”

Signs It Might Be More Than Just DOMS

If any of these are happening, it’s time to reassess:

Pain is sharp or focused, not just achy

One side is way worse than the other

Pain lingers beyond 5–7 days

You feel weakness, numbness, or instability

It worsens with rest instead of improving

Pain is deep in a joint or tendon — not the muscle belly

You’ve had this pain before, and it keeps coming back

Search intent: “injury or DOMS symptoms”, “why am I still sore a week later”, “muscle tear vs soreness”

Why Physios See This All Winter

In colder months, your risk increases due to:

Poor warm-up habits

Reduced tissue elasticity

Less consistent training = higher spike in load

More indoor training, more repetitive movement patterns

Higher likelihood of loading imbalances and poor recovery

You might think it’s “just soreness,” but we often find early tendon overload, strain patterns, or movement inefficiencies that need fixing — before they turn into real downtime.