SoreTrace Sources
Last updated: 3 September 2026
How SoreTrace estimates recovery
When you log an area, SoreTrace starts a fixed 72-hour timer. The colour on the body map and the "still cooling" percentage both come from how much of that timer has passed. Nothing is measured from your body, and the intensity you pick is your own rating, not a clinical scale.
The window and the stretch suggestions are based on the published research below.
The 72-hour recovery window
- Cheung K, Hume P, Maxwell L. Delayed onset muscle soreness: treatment strategies and performance factors. Sports Medicine. 2003;33(2):145-164. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12617692/ Delayed onset muscle soreness typically appears 12 to 24 hours after unaccustomed exercise, peaks between 24 and 72 hours, and then fades.
- American College of Sports Medicine. Position stand: progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2009;41(3):687-708. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19204579/ Recommends 48 to 72 hours of recovery between resistance sessions that work the same muscle group.
What soreness is
- Hotfiel T, Freiwald J, Hoppe MW, et al. Advances in delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS): part I, pathogenesis and diagnostics. Sportverletzung Sportschaden. 2018;32(4):243-250. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30537791/ Soreness is usually rated by the person feeling it, which is why SoreTrace uses a self-reported 1 to 5 scale rather than claiming to measure anything.
Stretch suggestions
- Herbert RD, de Noronha M, Kamper SJ. Stretching to prevent or reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2011;(7):CD004577. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21735398/ Stretching before or after exercise produces little or no reduction in soreness. SoreTrace offers a stretch as a gentle way to move a sore area, not as a treatment.
- Dupuy O, Douzi W, Theurot D, Bosquet L, Dugué B. An evidence-based approach for choosing post-exercise recovery techniques to reduce markers of muscle damage, soreness, fatigue, and inflammation: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology. 2018;9:403. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29755363/ Light active recovery, massage, and compression showed the clearest effect on soreness across 99 studies.
Not medical advice
SoreTrace is a personal feel log. It does not diagnose, treat, or prevent anything, and it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional. Sharp, persistent, or worsening pain is not normal muscle soreness. Stop training and get it looked at.