Acute Effects of Stretching on Muscle Stiffness After a Bout of Exhaustive Eccentric Exercise

Abstract

With the aim to analyze the influence of stretching on muscle stiffness after eccentric exercise, 30 young men (18 - 32 years old), were divided into three groups: STR, undergoing a stretching program (SP) of the dominant quadriceps muscle, ECC, undergoing exhaustive eccentric exercise, and ECC/STR, undergoing eccentric exercise, followed by SP. Muscle stiffness (MS) was assessed immediately before the respective programs, and 1 and 24 hours after, measuring the following parameters during Wartenberg pendulum test: angle and angular velocity of first knee flexion (FKF) and following oscillating extension, time of oscillating movements and final resting knee angle (FRKA). Despite the slight (2 %) but significant increase of FRKA, all further parameters did not change over time in STR. MS in ECC was documented by the reduced range of motion (ROM) and the slower angular velocity. Reduction in FRKA (10 %) was still present after 24 hours, while other variables tended to recover eventually. Similar reduction in FKF was observed for ECC/STR, but with significantly less impairment in the range of pendulum movement one hour after the exercise and in tendency still remained less impaired 24 hours after. The results suggest that SP conducted after exhaustive eccentric exercise alleviated reductions in ROM induced by exercise.

pendulum test - muscle stiffness - range of motion - goniometry

References

• 1 Anderson B, Burke E R. Scientific, medical, and practical aspects of stretching.  Clin Sports Med. 1991;  110 63-86
• 2 Appell H J, Soares J MC, Duarte J A. Exercise, muscle damage and fatigue.  Sports Med. 1992;  13 108-115
• 3 Badj T, Vodovnik L. Pendulum testing of spasticity.  J Biomed Eng. 1984;  6 9-16
• 4 Bottas R, Linnamo V, Nicol C, Komi P V. Repeated maximal eccentric actions causes long-lasting disturbances in movement control.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 2005;  94 62-69
• 5 Buroker K C, Schwane J A. Does post exercises static stretching alleviates delayed muscle soreness?.  Phys Sports Med. 1989;  17 65-83
• 6 Byrne C, Twist C, Eston R. Neuromuscular function after exercise-induced muscle damage.  Sports Med. 2004;  34 49-69
• 7 Cheung K, Hume P A, Maxwell L. Delayed onset muscle soreness: Treatment Strategies and performance factors.  Sports Med. 2003;  33 145-164
• 8 Clarkson P M, Hubal M J. Exercise-induced muscle damage in humans.  Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2002;  81 (Suppl) S52-S69
• 9 DeVries H A. Quantitative electromyographic investigation of the spasm theory of muscle pain.  Am J Phys Med. 1966;  45 119-134
• 10 Duarte J A, Magalhães J F, Monteiro L, Almeida-Dias A, Soares J MC, Appell H-J. Exercise-induced signs of muscle overuse in children.  Int J Sports Med. 1999;  20 103-108
• 11 Evans R K, Knight K L, Draper D O, Parcell A. Effects of warm-up before eccentric exercise on indirect markers of muscle damage.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002;  34 1892-1899
• 12 Herbert R D, Gabriel M. Effects of stretching before and after exercising on muscle soreness and risk of injury: Systematic review.  BMJ. 2002;  325 1-5
• 13 High D M, Howley E T, Franks B D. The effects of static stretching and warm-up on prevention of delayed onset muscle soreness.  Res Q Exerc Sports. 1989;  60 357-361
• 14 Jamshidi M, Smith A. Clinical measurement of spasticity using the Pendulum Test: Comparison of electrogoniometric and videotape analyses.  Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1996;  77 1129-1132
• 15 Jamurtas A Z, Theocharis V, Tofas T, Tsiokanos A, Yfanti C, Paschalis V, Koutedakis Y, Nosaka K. Comparison between leg and arm eccentric exercises of the same relative intensity on indices of muscle damage.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 2005;  95 179-185
• 16 Johansson P H, Lindstrom L, Sundelin G, Lindstrom B. The effects of preexercise stretching on muscular soreness, tenderness and force loss heavy eccentric exercise.  Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1999;  9 219-225
• 17 Lavender A, Nosaka K. Changes in fluctuation of isometric force following eccentric and concentric exercise of the elbow flexors.  Eur J Appl Physiol. 2006;  96 235-240
• 18 Lund H, Vestergaard-Poulsen P, Kanstrup I L, Sejrsen P. Isokinetic eccentric exercise as a model to induce and reproduce pathophysiological alterations to delayed onset muscle soreness.  Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1998;  8 208-215
• 19 Lund H, Vestergaard-Poulsen P, Kanstrup I L, Sejrsen P. The effect of passive stretching on delayed onset muscle soreness and other detrimental effects following eccentric exercise.  Scand J Med Sci Sports. 1998;  8 216-221
• 20 McGlynn G H, Laughlin N T, Rowe V. Effect of electromyographic feedback and static stretching on artificially induced muscle soreness.  Am J Phys Med. 1979;  58 139-148
• 21 Nosaka K, Newton M, Sacco P. Muscle damage and soreness after endurance exercise of the elbow flexors.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002;  34 920-927
• 22 Connor O ’R, Hurley D A. The effectiveness of physiotherapeutic interventions in the management of delayed onset muscle soreness: A systematic review.  Phys Ther Reviews. 2003;  8 177-195
• 23 Simons D G, Mense S. Understanding and measurement of muscle tone as related to clinical muscle pain.  Pain. 1998;  75 1-7
• 24 Smith L L. Acute inflammation: the underlying mechanism in delayed onset muscle soreness?.  Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1991;  23 542-551
• 25 Torres R, Carvalho P, Duarte J A. Effects of a static stretching program on clinical and biochemical markers of muscle damage induced by eccentric exercise.  Port J Sport Sci. 2005;  5 274-287
• 26 Wartenberg R. Pendulousness of the legs as a diagnostic test.  Neurol. 1995;  1 18-24
• 27 Wessel J, Wan A. Effect of stretching on the intensity of delayed-onset muscle soreness.  Clin J Sports Med. 1994;  4 83-87