You know the feeling. It's 36 hours after a hard match or a brutal training block, and your legs feel like they belong to someone else. That's delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and if you're serious about performance, it's costing you more than comfort — it's costing you training days. This guide breaks down the real, research-backed science behind tart cherry extract: how it works on your immune and inflammatory pathways, how it stacks up against ibuprofen as a natural N