• José M Delfa de la Morena, Afshin Samani, Josué Fernández-Carnero, Ernst A Hansen, and Pascal Madeleine.
• 1Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction (SMI), Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark; and 2Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Rey Juan Carlos, Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain.
• J Strength Cond Res. 2013 Nov 1; 27 (11): 3045-52.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate adaptation mechanisms after 2 test rounds consisting of eccentric exercise using pressure pain imaging of the wrist extensors. Pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were assessed over 12 points forming a 3 × 4 matrix over the dominant elbow in 12 participants. From the PPT assessments, pressure pain maps were computed. Delayed onset muscle soreness was induced in an initial test round of high-intensity eccentric exercise. The second test round performed 7 days later aimed at resulting in adaptation. The PPTs were assessed before, immediately after, and 24 hours after the 2 test rounds of eccentric exercise. For the first test round, the mean PPT was significantly lower 24 hours after exercise compared with before exercise (389.5 ± 64.1 vs. 500.5 ± 66.4 kPa, respectively; p = 0.02). For the second test round, the PPT was similar before and 24 hours after (447.7 ± 51.3 vs. 458.0 ± 73.1 kPa, respectively; p = 1.0). This study demonstrated adaptive effects of the wrist extensors monitored by pain imaging technique in healthy untrained humans. A lack of hyperalgesia, i.e., no decrease in PPT underlined adaptation after the second test round of eccentric exercise performed 7 days after the initial test round. The present findings showed for the first time that repeated eccentric exercise performed twice over 2 weeks protects the wrist extensor muscles from developing exacerbated pressure pain sensitivity. Thus, the addition of eccentric components to training regimens should be considered to induce protective adaptation.

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