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How can I tell muscle soreness from joint pain?
Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated
The short answer
Muscle soreness is a dull ache in the middle of the muscle that shows up a day or two after training and fades within a couple of days. Joint pain is sharp, sits in or around the joint and usually hits during the movement. Nikkiey's rule: soreness means you're fine; joint pain means stop, modify or swap the exercise.
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Nikkiey describes what normal muscle soreness feels like and when it shows up
Plays from 4:02 · Video: 7 Lifting Mistakes That Cause Injury in Women Over 40
How joint pain differs: sharp, in the joint, and during the movement
Plays from 4:24 · Video: 7 Lifting Mistakes That Cause Injury in Women Over 40
What to do when it's joint pain: stop, modify or swap, and see your doctor
Plays from 5:25 · Video: 7 Lifting Mistakes That Cause Injury in Women Over 40
How to keep training around a sore joint instead of stopping completely
Plays from 6:35 · Video: 7 Lifting Mistakes That Cause Injury in Women Over 40
The full answer
Nikkiey explains that a lot of women treat soreness and pain as the same thing, and after 40 that mix-up can end your lifting career. Here's how she breaks it down:
- Soreness: a dull ache in the center of the muscle, like the middle of your quad, the back of your shoulders or your glutes. It shows up a day or two after the workout, it's uncomfortable but not sharp, and it goes away within a couple of days. She calls it productive, a sign your muscle fibers are rebuilding stronger.
- Joint pain: sharp, and right in or around the joint, such as your knee, elbow, shoulder socket or wrist. It usually shows up during the movement, not a day later, and it's your body telling you something is wrong with how that joint is being loaded.
If it's soreness, Nikkiey's advice is simple: you're good, eat your protein and stay hydrated. If it's pain, stop. Don't push through it, and don't try one more rep to see if it goes away. Modify the exercise or swap it out, and if it keeps coming back, talk to your doctor. She describes women who pushed through a shoulder for six months and ended up needing surgery, when listening at week two could have meant training around it without missing a session.
Stopping isn't the same as quitting, though. Nikkiey warns against the all-or-nothing trap, because muscle starts declining within about two weeks of inactivity. Sore shoulder? Train your lower body. Knee bothering you? Do upper body and core. Wrist issue? Use machines or bands. Back trouble? Sit down for seated presses and rows. She says even 30% of your normal routine is infinitely better than doing nothing. The push-through-the-pain mentality from your younger years isn't a character strength now; listening to your body is the smart move.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
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18 min7 Lifting Mistakes That Cause Injury in Women Over 40
Video · Sep 4, 2026