Delayed onset muscle soreness

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) refers to next day muscle soreness and is coming 24-48 hours after exercise. Peak soreness is at 48 - 72 h post-exercise. Athletes will experience DOMS after high intensity excercise work-outs. At low intensity exercise/work-outs the athlete will rarely experience soreness. Lay public believes lactate production is causing DOMS, but this is not correct. Lactate removal from muscles is raport, typical 60-120 minutes after exercise. The cause of DOMS is microscopic injury to muscle fibres which leads to inflammation.

Notable studies
Hotfiel, T., Freiwald, J., Hoppe, M. W., Lutter, C., Forst, R., Grim, C., Bloch, W., Hüttel, M., & Heiss, R. (2018). Advances in Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Part I: Pathogenesis and Diagnostics. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – Teil I: Pathogenese und Diagnostik. Sportverletzung Sportschaden : Organ der Gesellschaft fur Orthopadisch-Traumatologische Sportmedizin, 32(4), 243–250. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-0753-1884
 * 2018, Advances in Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Part I: Pathogenesis and Diagnostics