Why Do My Thighs Ache After Exercise?

Soreness in the thighs after exercise is a common occurrence. Typically, after intense exercise, one may feel soreness in the muscles surrounding the thighs. It is important to rest when experiencing thigh soreness after exercise, avoid vigorous exercise in general, warm up before exercising, and stretch after exercising to prevent muscle strain. There are many factors that can cause thigh soreness after exercise, so what exactly is the cause? Let's take a look.

This is often due to exercising for too long or excessively, exceeding the tolerance level of the muscles, resulting in muscle strain and inducing sterile inflammation. It is necessary to avoid activity and provide sufficient rest, apply heat, undergo physical therapy, or perform functional exercises to strengthen the thigh muscles while improving the sterile inflammation caused by the muscles. If the pain worsens, oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics or topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic ointments may be needed to promote the recovery of sterile inflammation and restore the sensation and function of the thighs.

These factors involve whether the patient already has mild spinal stenosis or vertebral disc protrusion compressing the nerves that innervate the thighs, leading to neurogenic intermittent claudication and inability to exercise for extended periods, resulting in soreness and swelling. If there are also symptoms of numbness, weakness, decreased sensation of pain and temperature, and decreased strength in the lower limbs, a lumbar examination should be performed to rule out neurogenic factors.

When there is occlusion of the lower extremity vessels or atherosclerotic segmental stenosis, the muscles of the lower extremities may experience soreness and pain after exercise due to ischemia. In such cases, a vascular surgery consultation should be sought for ultrasound or angiographic examination of the lower extremities to confirm the diagnosis.