MoSoreness

"The Pain Map" — "I know where it hurts"

Status: ✅ Built (via unified recovery API)

MoSoreness tracks muscle soreness levels and locations as part of the recovery system.

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Purpose

• Track overall soreness level
• Identify specific sore areas
• Feed soreness data to fatigue calculation
• Help with exercise selection (avoid sore muscles)

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Implementation

Part of the unified recovery logging system.

Code Location

/app/api/recovery/route.ts

Fields

interface SorenessData {
  overallSoreness: number;     // 1-5
  sorenessAreas?: string[];    // Specific body parts
}

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Soreness Scale

Rating	Label	Physical State	Training Impact
1	None	No soreness	Train normally
2	Mild	Slight tightness	Train normally
3	Moderate	Noticeable DOMS	May need warm-up
4	High	Uncomfortable	Avoid sore areas
5	Severe	Painful to move	Rest recommended

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Soreness Areas

Trackable body parts:

Category	Areas
Push muscles	Chest, front delts, triceps
Pull muscles	Back, rear delts, biceps
Leg muscles	Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves
Core	Abs, obliques, lower back
Other	Neck, forearms

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Impact on Training

Fatigue Calculation

function calculateSorenessDebt(overallSoreness: number): number {
  if (overallSoreness >= 4) return 1.5;
  if (overallSoreness === 3) return 0.5;
  return 0;
}

Exercise Selection

When specific areas are sore:

function getAvoidancePatterns(sorenessAreas: string[]): string[] {
  const avoid: string[] = [];

  if (sorenessAreas.includes('chest')) {
    avoid.push('horizontal_push');
  }
  if (sorenessAreas.includes('back')) {
    avoid.push('horizontal_pull', 'vertical_pull');
  }
  if (sorenessAreas.includes('quads')) {
    avoid.push('squat', 'lunge');
  }
  // etc.

  return avoid;
}

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Data Model

// Part of RecoveryLog
interface RecoveryLog {
  // ... other fields
  overallSoreness: number;
  sorenessAreas: string[];
}

Database Columns

-- In recovery_logs table
overall_soreness INTEGER CHECK (overall_soreness BETWEEN 1 AND 5),
soreness_areas TEXT[],  -- Array of body parts

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DOMS Patterns

Normal Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS):

Timing	What to Expect
0-12 hours	Minimal soreness
24-48 hours	Peak soreness
48-72 hours	Decreasing
72+ hours	Should be recovered

Warning signs (not normal DOMS):

• Sharp or acute pain
• Soreness lasting 5+ days
• Pain in joints (not muscles)
• Asymmetric pain (one side only)

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Integration Points

Provides to:

• MoFatigue (fatigue calculation)
• MoSuggest (exercise avoidance)
• MoMobility (targeted stretching)
• Dashboard (soreness display)

Receives from:

• Recovery check-in UI

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Best Practices

• Soreness ≠ effectiveness (don't chase it)
• Some soreness is normal for new exercises
• Severe soreness may indicate too much volume
• Use mobility work to reduce soreness