J Sport Sci Med
-
Muscle damage and soreness associated with increased exercise training loads or unaccustomed activity can be debilitating and impact the quality of subsequent activity/performance. Current techniques to assess muscle soreness are either time consuming, invasive or subjective. Infrared thermography has been identified as a quick, non-invasive, portable and athlete friendly method of assessing skin temperature. ⋯ Thigh temperature was not different statistically between legs at these time points. Infrared imaging was able to detect elevations in skin temperature, at 24 hrs after the DOMS inducing exercise protocol, in both the exercised and non-exercised thigh. Elevations in the skin temperature of both thighs, potentially identifies a systemic inflammatory response occurring at 24 hr after the DOMS-inducing exercise protocol.
-
Aquatic cycling is a program of physical exercises performed with immersed stationary bikes. Few studies have provided evidence about the intensity control during its practice. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to examine the concurrent and construct validity of a new scale for rating perceived exertion (RPE) during aquatic cycling in young men. ⋯ ANOVA indicated that an incremental pedalling cadence of 15 revolutions per minute (rpm) provoked significant differences (p < 0.05) regarding previous stages in the majority of the variables analysed. The Aquatic Cycling Scale is an appropriate tool for monitoring exertion intensity during aquatic cycling in fit men. A brief increment in aquatic pedalling cadence of 15 rpm increases the intensity of the aquatic pedalling exercise.
-
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), an ultrastructural muscle injury, is one of the most common reasons for impaired muscle performance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of sport compression garments on the development of exercise-induced intramuscular edema in the context of DOMS. DOMS was induced in 15 healthy participants. ⋯ After exercise, there was significantly increased muscle soreness in both lower legs in resting condition and when going downstairs and a decreased range of motion in the ankle joint. No significant difference was observed between the compressed and the non-compressed calf. Our results indicate that wearing conventional compression garments after DOMS has been induced has no significant effect on the development of muscle edema, muscle soreness, range of motion and calf circumference.
-
Conservative therapies, mainly resting care for the damaged muscle, are generally used as a treatment for skeletal muscle injuries (such as muscle fragmentation). Several past studies reported that microcurrent electrical neuromuscular stimulation (MENS) facilitates a repair of injured soft tissues and shortens the recovery period. However, the effects of MENS on the regeneration in injured skeletal muscle are still unclear. ⋯ The number of satellite cells was increased by MENS during the regenerating phase of injured skeletal muscle. Decrease in the percentages of fibers with central nuclei was facilitated by MENS. MENS may facilitate the regeneration of injured skeletal muscles.
-
Pre-season screening is well established within the sporting arena, and aims to enhance performance and reduce injury risk. With the increasing need to identify potential injury with greater accuracy, a new risk assessment process has been produced; The Performance Matrix (battery of movement control tests). As with any new method of objective testing, it is fundamental to establish whether the same results can be reproduced between examiners and by the same examiner on consecutive occasions. ⋯ It is concluded that both inter and intra-rater reliability of tests in The Foundation Matrix are acceptable when rated by experienced therapists. Recommendations are made for modifying some of the criteria to improve reliability where excellence was not reached. Key pointsThe movement control tests of The Foundation Matrix had acceptable reliability between raters and within raters on different daysAgreement between observations made on tests performed real-time and on video recordings was low, indicating poor validity of use of video recordingsSome movement evaluation criteria related to specific tests that did not achieve excellent agreement could be modified to improve reliability.