Is That Pain Just Soreness—or the Start of an Injury?
- Kate Mihevc Edwards PT, DPT
- Jul 20
- 3 min read

Every runner has asked it: “Is this just normal soreness… or am I about to get injured?”
It’s a fine line—and knowing how to read your body can be the difference between a breakthrough and a breakdown.
Here’s the truth: pain doesn’t always mean stop—but it also doesn’t mean “keep grinding.” The key is knowing what type of pain you're dealing with, where it’s coming from, and how it behaves.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): The “Good” Kind of Pain
DOMS is that familiar muscle ache that shows up 12–48 hours after a tough workout. It’s diffuse, often symmetrical, and tends to improve with movement. It’s part of your body’s adaptive process.
You’ll often feel DOMS:
After new or eccentric activity (hills, strength, tempo)
In large muscle groups (quads, glutes, calves)
Peaking around 24–48 hours
Getting better with light movement and by day 3 or 4
It’s not an injury. It’s a sign your tissues are responding to load. Research confirms that DOMS results from microtrauma and inflammation, and returning to movement—even while sore—is safe when symptoms are mild and improving (1).
But Here’s Where It Gets Murky
Pain that is sharp, one-sided, or lingers longer than expected may be the start of an injury.
Key signs include:
Localized pain (e.g., the medial shin, deep glute, or underfoot)
Pain that increases during running, not just after
Pain that lingers or worsens each day
Night pain, swelling, or limping
Pain that subtly alters your gait or stride
These can indicate a tendonopathy, muscle strain, or even a bone stress reaction, all of which need early attention. Overuse injuries don’t happen overnight—they build from small overloads that exceed your tissue’s current capacity to recover (2,4).
Pain Monitoring: The 24-Hour Rule (With a Tissue-Specific Twist)
A validated clinical strategy for managing symptoms—especially in tendon recovery—is the 24-hour pain rule: pain during or after a run is acceptable if it stays under a 4/10 and returns to baseline within 24 hours (2).
Tendons and Muscles: Some post-run discomfort (3–4/10) is usually fine—as long as it subsides by the next day.
Bones: Any pain during running is a red flag. Bones don’t adapt to load the same way tendons do. Ignoring this can escalate a small stress reaction into a full-blown fracture—which dramatically increases downtime (2).
Don’t Wait Until It Gets Loud
The body whispers before it screams. Slight changes in how you move, hesitation during takeoff, or low-grade pain that keeps returning—these are the first signs.
And here’s what runners need to hear:
The longer you're in pain, the longer it may take to get better.
The sooner you intervene, the less likely you’ll need extended rest.
The good news? If you act early, you can often keep running—you just need to adjust load, frequency, and how you train. Tendons, for example, recover better when we apply smart, progressive loading—not strict rest (5). Tools like bodyweight-supported treadmills, cross-training, and run/walk intervals help maintain fitness while reducing risk.
And if you’re seeing a provider who understands runners, they won’t just shut you down. They’ll meet you where you are—strategically modifying your plan to support both tissue recovery and your training goals.
RUNsource Can Help You Train Smarter
This is exactly what the RUNsource app was built for. If you're unsure whether your pain is just soreness or something more, our recovery and injury tools help you identify red flags, apply smart load progressions, and get back to running with confidence.
Download RUNsource on the App Store or Google Play to train smarter, recover stronger, and stay on track.
#PainOrProgress #RUNsourceRecovery #TrainSmartStayStrong #KnowYourBody #RUNsourceApp #RUNsourceinjuryhighlight #RUNsourceperformance
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References
Peake JM, Neubauer O, Della Gatta PA, Nosaka K. Muscle damage and inflammation during recovery from exercise. J Appl Physiol. 2017;122(3):559–570.
Warden SJ, Davis IS, Fredericson M. Management and prevention of bone stress injuries in long-distance runners. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2014;44(10):749–765.
Cook JL, Purdam CR. Is tendon pathology a continuum? A pathology model to explain the clinical presentation of load-induced tendinopathy. Br J Sports Med. 2009;43(6):409–416.
Mountjoy M, Armstrong N, Bizzini L, et al. IOC consensus statement: load in sport and risk of injury. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(17):1030–1041.
Kaux JF, Forthomme B, Le Goff C, Crielaard JM, Croisier JL. Current opinions on tendinopathy. J Sports Sci Med. 2011;10(2):238–253.