Abstract
The aim of this study was to monitor the effects of topical heat and/or static stretch treatments on the recovery of muscle damage by eccentric exercise. For this purpose, 32 untrained male subjects performed intense eccentric knee extension exercise, followed by 2 weeks of treatment (heat, stretch, heat plus stretch) or no treatment (control, n=8/group). Isometric strength testing, pain ratings, and multi-echo magnetic resonance imaging of the thigh were performed before and at 2, 3, 4, 8, and 15 days following the exercise. Increased T2 relaxation time, muscle swelling, pain ratings, and strength loss confirmed significant muscle damage during the post-exercise period. Pain ratings and muscle volume recovered to baseline by 15 days, although muscle strength remained lower [77 (4) vs. 95 (3) kg pre-exercise, mean (SE)] and T2 values higher [32.2 (0.8) vs. 28.6 (0.2) ms pre-exercise]. Our results indicate that heat and/or static stretching does not consistently reduce soreness, swelling or muscle damage. The practical implication of our findings is that clinicians should be aware that prescribing heat and/or static stretching following intense eccentric or unaccustomed exercise will not enhance the recovery of damaged muscles.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abraham WM (1977) Factors in delayed muscle soreness. Med Sci Sports 9:11–20
Adams GR, Harris RT, Woodard D, Dudley GA (1993) Mapping of electrical muscle stimulation using MRI. J Appl Physiol 74:532–537
Alter MJ (1988) Science of stretching. Human Kinetics, Champaign, Ill.
Anderson B (1980) Stretching. Shelter Publications, Bolinas, Calif.
Armstrong RB (1984) Mechanisms of exercise-induced delayed onset muscular soreness: a brief review. Med Sci Sports Exerc 16:529–538
Armstrong RB (1990) Initial events in exercise-induced muscular injury. Med Sci Sports Exerc 22:429–435
Armstrong RB, Ogilvie RW, Schwane JA (1983) Eccentric exercise-induced injury to rat skeletal muscle. J Appl Physiol 54:80–93
Asmussen E (1956) Observation on experimental muscular soreness. Acta Rheumatol Scand 2:109–116
Bar DPR, Rodenburg AJB, Koot RW, Amelink HGJ (1994) Exercise-induced muscle damage: recent developments. Basic Appl Myol 4:5-16
Bobbert MF, Hollander AP, Huijing PA (1986) Factors in delayed onset muscular soreness of man. Med Sci Sports Exerc 18:75–81
Buroker KC, Schwane JA (1989) Does postexercise static stretching alleviate delayed muscle soreness? Phys Sportsmed 17:318–322
Byrd SK, McCutcheon LJ, Hodgson DR, Gollnick PD (1989) Altered sarcoplasmic reticulum function after high-intensity exercise. J Appl Physiol 67:2072–2077
Clarkson PM, Nosaka K, Braun B (1992) Muscle function after exercise-induced muscle damage and rapid adaptation. Med Sci Sports Exerc 24:512–520
Clarkson PM, Tremblay I (1988) Exercise-induced muscle damage, repair, and adaptation in humans. J Appl Physiol 65:1-6
deVries HA (1961) Prevention of muscular distress after exercise Res Q 32:177–185
deVries HA (1966) Quantitative electromyographic investigation of the spasm theory of muscle pain. Am J Phys Med 45:119–134
Dudley GA, Czerkawski J, Meinrod A, Gillis G, Baldwin A, Scarpone M (1997) Efficacy of naproxen sodium for exercise-induced dysfunction muscle injury and soreness. Clin J Sport Med 7:3-10
Fisher JM, Meyer R, A., Adams GR, Foley JM, Potchen EJ (1990) Direct relationship between proton T2 and exercise intensity in skeletal muscle MR images. Invest Radiol 25:480–485
Fleckenstein JL, Weatherall PT, Parkey RW, Payne JA, Peshock RM (1989) Sports-related muscle injuries: evaluation with MR imaging. Radiology 172:793–798
Foley JM, Jayaraman RC, Prior BM, Pivarnik JM, Meyer RA (1999) MR measurements of muscle damage and adaptation after eccentric exercise. J Appl Physiol 87:2311–2318
Friden J, Sfakianos PN, Hargens AR (1986) Muscle soreness and intramuscular fluid pressure: comparison between eccentric and concentric load. J Appl Physiol 61:2175–2179
Friden J, Sjostrom M, Ekblom B (1981) A morphological study of delayed muscle soreness. Experientia 37:506–507
Friden J, Sjostrom M, Ekblom B (1983) Myofibrillar damage following intense eccentric exercise in man. Int J Sports Med 4:170–176
Gulick DT, Kimura IF, Sitler M, Paolone A, Kelly JD (1996) Various treatment techniques on signs and symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness. J Athl Train 31:145–152
Hough T (1902) Ergographic studies in muscular soreness. Am J Physiol 7:76–92
Howell JN, Chleboun G, Conatser R (1993) Muscle stiffness, strength loss, swelling and soreness following exercise-induced injury in humans. J Physiol (Lond) 464:183–196
Isabell WK, Durrant E, Myer W, Anderson S (1992) The effects of ice massage, ice massage with exercise, and exercise on the prevention and treatment of delayed onset muscle soreness. J Athl Train 27:208–217
Jayaraman RC (1997) The use of functional magnetic resonance imaging in the study of delayed muscle soreness. Michigan State University, East Lansing
Kuligowski LA, Lephart SM, Giannantonio FP, Blanc RO (1998) Effect of whirpool therapy on the signs and symptoms of delayed-onset muscle soreness. J Athl Train 33:222–228
Lowe DA, Warren GL, Hayes DA, Farmer MA, Armstrong RB (1994) Eccentric contraction-induced injury of mouse soleus muscle: effect of varying [Ca+2]o. J Appl Physiol 76:1445–1453
McGlynn GH, Laughlin NT, Rowe V (1979) Effect of electromyographic feedback and static stretching on artificially induced muscle soreness. Am J Phys Med 58:139–148
Nanneman D (1991) Thermal modalities, heat and cold: a review of physiologic effects with clinical applications. AAOHN J 39:70–75
Newham DJ, McPhail KR, Mills KR, Edwards RHT (1983) Ultrastructural changes after concentric and eccentric contractions of human muscle. J Neurol Sci 61:109–122
Nosaka K, Clarkson PM (1996) Changes in indicators of inflammation after eccentric exercise of the elbow flexors. Med Sci Sports Exerc 28:953–961
Nosaka K, Clarkson PM, McGuiggin ME, Byrne JM (1991) Time course of muscle adaptation after high force eccentric exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 63:70–76
Nurenberg P, Giddings CJ, Stray-Gundersen J, Fleckenstein JL, Gonyea WJ, Peshock RM (1992) MR imaging—guided muscle biopsy for correlation of increased signal intensity with ultrastructural change and delayed-onset muscle soreness after exercise. Radiology 184:865–869
Ploutz LL, Tesch PA, Biro RL, Dudley GA (1994) Effect of resistance training on muscle use during exercise. J Appl Physiol 76:1675–1681
Prentice WE (1982) An elctromyographic analysis of the effectiveness of heat or cold and stretching for inducing relaxation in injured muscle. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 3:133–140
Prior BM, Ploutz-Snyder LL, Cooper T, Meyer RA (2001) Fiber type and metabolic dependence of T2 increases in stimulated rat muscles. J Appl Physiol 90:615–623
Shellock FG, Fukunaga T, Mink JH, Edgerton VR (1991a) Acute effects of exercise on MR imaging of skeletal muscle: concentric vs eccentric actions. AJR Am J Roentgenol 156:765–768
Shellock FG, Fukunaga T, Mink JH, Edgerton VR (1991b) Exertional muscle injury: evaluation of concentric versus eccentric actions with serial MR imaging. Radiology 179:659–664
Takahashi H, Kuno S-Y, Miyamoto T, Yoshioka H, Inaki M, et al. (1994) Changes in magnetic resonance images in human skeletal muscle after eccentric exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 69:408–413
Weingand K, Hengehold D, Knight E, Hinkle R, Combs L, et al. (1991) Topical heat provides pain relief of delayed onset muscle soreness of the distal quadriceps muscles. Med Sci Sports Exerc 31:S75
Wessel J, Wan A (1994) Effect of stretching on the intensity of delayed-onset muscle soreness. Clin J Sport Med 4:83–87
Yackzan L, Adams C, Francis KT (1984) The effects of ice massage on delayed muscle soreness. Am J Sports Med 12:159–165
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jayaraman, R.C., Reid, R.W., Foley, J.M. et al. MRI evaluation of topical heat and static stretching as therapeutic modalities for the treatment of eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage. Eur J Appl Physiol 93, 30–38 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-004-1153-y
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-004-1153-y