Joel Harris from the Society Of Sports Therapists replies: The symptoms suggest you do little or no other regular physical activity except play football. But certain specific medical conditions can give rise to muscle soreness. If in doubt, or symptoms persist or increase, seek medical advice.
As your condition often occurs the morning after a game, you may need to improve your fitness levels and any training you do should mimic football movements. A conditioning programme, gradually increasing in intensity over a period of time, will help. Start with some light jogging several days a week and include fartlek training for a more intense workout. If you're training with a partner, try some short ball-passing work. Any new activities should be introduced gradually rather than all at once.
A post-match cool down is also advised: try a slow jog of 10-15 minutes followed by a stretching regime covering the main muscle groups of the lower body - lower back, hamstrings, quadriceps, adductor (groin) and calves.
After any hard exercise you might find a sports massage beneficial. A recent study that appeared in the British Journal Of Sports Medicine showed that a massage taken 20 minutes after exercise helped alleviate some post-exercise pain within 48 hours.