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* DOMS also reduces the strength of the effected muscles, and this can be quite dramatic in extreme cases.
* Often a muscle with DOMS is hard to the touch, even when it's as relaxed as possible. A healthy muscle should only be firm when it's contracted.
==DOMS Scale==
This is a simplistic scale that I use to evaluate how bad my DOMS symptoms are. This is focused on DOMS of the quads, the most common areas noticed in runners.
{| class="wikitable"
! DOMS Scale
! Stair Test
|-
| 0
| You can walk down stairs without discomfort.
|-
| 1
| You can walk down stairs with some pain, but there's no need to hold on to the handrail.
|-
| 2
| You can walk down stairs with some pain, but you only need to hold on to the handrail for balance.
|-
| 3
| You need to put some of your weight on the handrail to descend stairs.
|-
| 4
| You need to put nearly all of your weight on the handrail to descend stairs.
|-
| 5
| Your quads cannot lower any weight and descending stairs it tricky. Descending stairs involves standing opposite the handrail and locking the leg that is opposite the handrail. Your body is then tilted towards the handrail, using your arms to lower your weight. The leg nearest the handrail is locked straight and once your body is lowered, it takes the weight. Repeat for each step. (Or avoid stairs.)
|}
=What are the symptoms of DOMS?=
The soreness of DOMS is different to other forms of muscle soreness. With DOMS, large areas of the muscle are tender to the touch and painful when the muscle is used. With other forms of muscle soreness the area of tenderness is usually more localized and the pain of massage is sometimes described as a 'good pain'. The pain of DOMS will normally lessen with light exercise such as walking, which is often described as 'loosening' up. In addition, there are other symptoms, such as: