Effects of deep heat as a preventative mechanism on delayed onset muscle soreness
One page on PainSci cites Brock 2004: A Deep Dive into Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness
PainSci notes on Brock 2004:
From the abstract: “Increased muscle temperature [by ultrasound] failed to provide significant prophylactic effects on the symptoms of DOMS.”
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
The effects of increased muscle temperature via continuous ultrasound prior to a maximal bout of eccentric exercise were investigated on the symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of the elbow flexors. Perceived muscle soreness, upper arm circumferences, range of motion (ROM), and isometric and isokinetic strength were measured over 7 days on 14 college-aged men (n = 6) and women (n = 8). Ten minutes of continuous ultrasound (ULT) or sham-ultrasound (CON) were administered. Muscle temperature was measured in the biceps brachii of both arms. Muscle temperature increased by 1.79 degrees +/- 0.49 degrees C (mean +/- SD) in the experimental arm of the ULT group. Muscle soreness was induced by a single bout of 50 maximal eccentric contractions. The ULT group did not differ significantly (p < 0.05) from the CON group with respect to perceived muscle soreness, upper arm circumference, ROM, and isometric and isokinetic strength. In conclusion, increased muscle temperature failed to provide significant prophylactic effects on the symptoms of DOMS.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Topical glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and eccentric exercises in the treatment of mid-portion achilles tendinopathy (the NEAT trial): a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Kirwan 2024 Br J Sports Med.
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