Ever come from a session at the gym feelingespeciallysore?

However, DOMS should decrease over time, once youve become accustomed to a move or routine.

Swellingis also a bad sign.

woman looking at phone, getting ready for a workout

Any swelling means your body is sending inflammatory elements to your injury, so take heed!

What to do:If youre sore for more than three days, talk to a doctor.

Anything less and you might just be suffering from the pangs of a new gym routine.

it’s possible for you to still take a day or two break, he said.

Youd want to be more cautious.

According toSelf, localized pain is also something to note.

What to do:Take a day off.

If youre not in agonizing pain, you might be fine.

If working out is unbearable, however, see a doctor ASAP.

Pain that radiates

Ever experience a soreness that seems like its radiating or throbbing?

That may be a bad sign.

Dircksen advises that pain radiating down the arm or the leg is called radicular pain.

It means the nervous system is involved, he says.

So pain shooting down the arm means theres some kind of compression of the nerves.

A pinched nerve, for instance, can result in radicular pain.

When youre weaker, youre going be more vulnerable to further injury.

So youve entered this negative spin cycle of inactivity.

Instead, keep active, scale back, and use ice and heat whenever necessary, Dircksen said.

And when all else fails, just book that physical therapy appointment alreadybetter safe than sorry.

For more from Lifehacker, be sure to follow us on Instagram@lifehackerdotcom.