OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological and psychological effects of massage on delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). METHODS Eighteen volunteers were randomly assigned to either a massage or control group. DOMS was induced with six sets of eight maximal eccentric contractions of the right hamstring, which were followed 2 h later by 20 min of massage or sham ...

PURPOSE We examined the effects of creatine supplementation on the response to repeated bouts of resistance exercise. METHODS Young men (24.1 ± 5.2 yr) were divided into Creatine (CM, n = 9) and Placebo (PL, n = 9) groups. On day (D) 1 and D15, subjects performed four sets of bicep curls at 75% 1-RM to concentric failure. On D8-D13, subjects consumed either 20g/d creatine monohydrate or place...

Protease supplementation has been shown to attenuate soft tissue injury resulting from intense exercise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of protease supplementation on muscle soreness and contractile performance after downhill running. Ten matched pairs of male participants ran at a -10% grade for 30 min at 80% of their predicted maximal heart rate. The participants consumed t...

We examined the association of a novel single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in IGF-I (IGF-I -C1245T located in the promoter) and eight SNPs in the IGF-II gene region with indicators of muscle damage [strength loss, muscle soreness, and increases in circulating levels of creatine kinase (CK) and myoglobin] after eccentric exercise. We also examined two SNPs in the IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3)...

BACKGROUND Many people stretch before or after (or both) engaging in athletic activity. Usually the purpose is to reduce risk of injury, reduce soreness after exercise, or enhance athletic performance. OBJECTIVES The aim of this review was to determine effects of stretching before or after exercise on the development of post-exercise muscle soreness. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane...

Background: Our aims were to investigate the time-course effects of a futsal match on performance, oxidative stress, and muscle damage markers, as well inflammatory antioxidant responses during 6-day post-match period. Methods: Thirty-four female high-level players assessed several inflammation, subjective soreness, rate perceived exertion, performance tests before match, immediately after, 24 ...

We investigated effects of creatine (Cr) supplementation (CrS) on exercise-induced muscle damage. Untrained males and females (N = 27) ages 18-25, with no CrS history in the past 4 months, were randomly assigned to CrS (creatine and carbohydrate) (n = 9), placebo (P) (carbohydrate only) (n = 9), or control (C) (no supplements) groups (n = 9). Participants followed a 5-day Cr loading protocol of...

PURPOSE To assess the effect of exercise-induced muscle damage on muscle hardness and evaluate the relationship between muscle hardness and muscle damage indicators. METHODS Seven men (mean 25.3 years; 172.7 cm; 66.8 kg) performed the single-leg ankle plantar flexion exercise involving both concentric and eccentric contractions (10 sets of 40 repetitions). The hardness of the medial gastrocne...

The purpose of this study was to compare symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage after an initial and repeated bout of plyometric exercise in men and boys. Ten boys (9-10 yr) and 10 men (20-29 yr) completed two bouts of eight sets of 10 plyometric jumps, 2 wk apart. Perceived soreness (0-10, visual analog scale), isometric strength of the quadriceps at six knee flexion angles, and countermov...

Abstract Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is associated with oxidative stress and inflammation, soreness, reductions in function. Cocoa flavanols (CF) are (poly)phenols antioxidant anti-inflammatory effects thus may attenuate symptoms of EIMD. The purpose this narrative review was to collate evaluate the current literature investigating effect CF supplementation on markers exercise-induced...