Researchers studying caffeine's effect on post-workout muscle soreness in nine female college students, who were not regular caffeine users and did not regularly engage in resistance training, reported their findings on the online edition of health portal WebMD.

"A lot of times what people use for muscle pain is drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen, but caffeine seems to work better than those drugs, at least among women whose daily caffeine consumption is low," said researcher Patrick O'Connor of the department of kinesiology (study of human movement) at the University of Georgia, Athens.

However, caffeine's pain-relieving perks may not apply to those who regularly drink coffee and other beverages containing caffeine. Instead, researchers say caffeine appears to work best in people who don't regularly consume caffeine or exercise.

The findings were based on a small study and researchers say more study is needed to examine caffeine's effects on muscle pain.

They recommend that people use caution when using caffeine before a workout. Too much may produce side effects like jitteriness, heart palpitations and sleep disturbances.

"It (coffee) can reduce pain," added Victor Maridakis, another researcher. "But you have to apply some common sense and not go overboard."