Effect of eccentric contration in the measurement of delayed onset muscle soreness

Abstract

It is still necessary to understand the effects of using and not using eccentric muscle action during the perceptual assessment of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Therefore, the objective of the present study was to verify the influence of the use and non-use of eccentric action on the measurement of DMIT. Eight male university students participated in the research on a voluntary basis (23.75 ± 1.4 years). They were submitted to a plyometric jumping exercise to induce quadriceps muscle damage. The perception of muscle pain was evaluated 24 and 48 hours through a scale from 0 to 10 points, following two different forms of evaluation, 1- without muscle action (SAM) and 2 - with eccentric muscle action (CAME), the scales were presented in balanced order to the volunteers. No statistically significant difference for perception of quadriceps pain was found when comparing the two forms of assessment 24 hours after exercise (p = 0.125). However, in the evaluation 48 hours post-exercise, there was a significant difference with higher values ​​for CAME (p = 0.016). It is concluded that the use of eccentric muscle action during perceptual assessment of DMIT presents a behavior similar to that documented in the literature for assessments with more complex methods. On the other hand, the assessment of DOMS without muscle action may underestimate the pain perceived by individuals.