Patria A. Hume

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Treatment Strategies and Performance Factors

AbstractDelayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a familiar experience for the elite or novice athlete. Symptoms can range from muscle tenderness to severe debilitating pain. The mechanisms, treatment strategies, and impact on athletic performance remain uncertain, despite the high incidence of DOMS. DOMS is most prevalent at the beginning of the sporting season when athletes are returning to training following a period of reduced activity. DOMS is also common when athletes are first introduced to certain types of activities regardless of the time of year. Eccentric activities induce micro-injury at a greater frequency and severity than other types of muscle actions. The intensity and duration of exercise are also important factors in DOMS onset. Up to six hypothesised theories have been proposed for the mechanism of DOMS, namely: lactic acid, muscle spasm, connective tissue damage, muscle damage, inflammation and the enzyme efflux theories. However, an integration of two or more theories is likely to explain muscle soreness. DOMS can affect athletic performance by causing a reduction in joint range of motion, shock attenuation and peak torque. Alterations in muscle sequencing and recruitment patterns may also occur, causing unaccustomed stress to be placed on muscle ligaments and tendons. These compensatory mechanisms may increase the risk of further injury if a premature return to sport is attempted.A number of treatment strategies have been introduced to help alleviate the severity of DOMS and to restore the maximal function of the muscles as rapidly as possible. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have demonstrated dosage-dependent effects that may also be influenced by the time of administration. Similarly, massage has shown varying results that may be attributed to the time of massage application and the type of massage technique used. Cryotherapy, stretching, homeopathy, ultrasound and electrical current modalities have demonstrated no effect on the alleviation of muscle soreness or other DOMS symptoms. Exercise is the most effective means of alleviating pain during DOMS, however the analgesic effect is also temporary. Athletes who must train on a daily basis should be encouraged to reduce the intensity and duration of exercise for 1–2 days following intense DOMS-inducing exercise. Alternatively, exercises targeting less affected body parts should be encouraged in order to allow the most affected muscle groups to recover. Eccentric exercises or novel activities should be introduced progressively over a period of 1 or 2 weeks at the beginning of, or during, the sporting season in order to reduce the level of physical impairment and/or training disruption. There are still many unanswered questions relating to DOMS, and many potential areas for future research.

Incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury and other knee ligament injuries: a national population-based study.

There has been an intensive research effort directed at determining the cause of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury over the past decade, but few studies have reported data on the incidence of ACL and other knee ligament injury in the general population. New Zealands no-fault injury compensation data provides a national injury resource of data on claims for knee ligament injury. The goal of this paper was to provide a descriptive epidemiology of knee ligament injury in this country. Data were obtained for knee ligament injuries between 1 July 2000 and 30 June 2005. Injuries were categorised as non-surgical (NS), ACL surgeries (ACLS) and other knee ligament surgeries (OKLS). Incidence rates per 100,000 person-years were computed using population estimates. Costs and number of treatment/rehabilitation visits were obtained as an indication of severity. The incidence rate per 100,000 person-years was 1147.1 for NS, 36.9 for ACLS and 9.1 for OKLS. Males had a higher incidence rate than females for NS, ACLS, and OKLS. The mean (and median) number of treatment visits were NS: 6.6 (4), ACLS: 27.1 (24), and OKLS: 31.3 (24). The mean (median) treatment costs of these injuries were NS

The Mechanisms of Massage and Effects on Performance, Muscle Recovery and Injury Prevention

885 (

Evaluation of lower extremity overuse injury potential in runners

129), ACLS

The Role of Biomechanics in Maximising Distance and Accuracy of Golf Shots

11,157 (

Kinesio Taping in Treatment and Prevention of Sports Injuries A Meta-Analysis of the Evidence for its Effectiveness

8574), and OKLS

Effect of nationwide injury prevention programme on serious spinal injuries in New Zealand rugby union: ecological study

15,663 (

Training intensity of elite male distance runners

8054). Analysis of injury descriptions for ACLS injuries indicated that 58% involved a non-contact mechanism of injury. These data underscore the high level of short-term disability associated with knee ligament injuries, especially ACL injuries that require surgery.

Towards an Ideal Rowing Technique for Performance The Contributions from Biomechanics

AbstractMany coaches, athletes and sports medicine personnel hold the belief, based on observations and experiences, that massage can provide several benefits to the body such as increased blood flow, reduced muscle tension and neurological excitability, and an increased sense of well-being. Massage can produce mechanical pressure, which is expected to increase muscle compliance resulting in increased range of joint motion, decreased passive stiffness and decreased active stiffness (biomechanical mechanisms). Mechanical pressure might help to increase blood flow by increasing the arteriolar pressure, as well as increasing muscle temperature from rubbing. Depending on the massage technique, mechanical pressure on the muscle is expected to increase or decrease neural excitability as measured by the Hoffman reflex (neurological mechanisms). Changes in parasympathetic activity (as measured by heart rate, blood pressure and heart rate variability) and hormonal levels (as measured by cortisol levels) following massage result in a relaxation response (physiological mechanisms). A reduction in anxiety and an improvement in mood state also cause relaxation (psychological mechanisms) after massage. Therefore, these benefits of massage are expected to help athletes by enhancing performance and reducing injury risk. However, limited research has investigated the effects of pre-exercise massage on performance and injury prevention.Massage between events is widely investigated because it is believed that massage might help to enhance recovery and prepare athletes for the next event. Unfortunately, very little scientific data has supported this claim. The majority of research on psychological effects of massage has concluded that massage produces positive effects on recovery (psychological mechanisms). Post-exercise massage has been shown to reduce the severity of muscle soreness but massage has no effects on muscle functional loss. Notwithstanding the belief that massage has benefits for athletes, the effects of different types of massage (e.g. petrissage, effleurage, friction) or the appropriate timing of massage (pre-exercise vs post-exercise) on performance, recovery from injury, or as an injury prevention method are not clear. Explanations are lacking, as the mechanisms of each massage technique have not been widely investigated. Therefore, this article discusses the possible mechanisms of massage and provides a discussion of the limited evidence of massage on performance, recovery and muscle injury prevention. The limitations of previous research are described and further research is recommended.

Evaluation of RugbySmart: A rugby union community injury prevention programme

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to identify biomechanical and anthropometric variables that contribute to overuse injuries in runners. METHODS Comparisons were made between a group of runners who had sustained at least one overuse running injury and a group of runners who had been injury free throughout their running careers. Groups were well matched in important training variables. Synchronized kinetic and rearfoot kinematic variables of both feet were collected by filming subjects running over a force platform at a speed of 4 m x s(-1). RESULTS The injury-free group demonstrated significantly greater posterior thigh (hamstring) flexibility, as measured by a standard sit and reach test. This was the only anthropometric variable in which the groups differed. Within each group, there were no significant differences between left and right foot landing for any biomechanical variable. Biomechanical variables that demonstrated significantly lower values for the injury free group were the vertical force impact peak and the maximal vertical loading rate, with the maximal rate of rearfoot pronation and the touchdown supination angle showing a trend toward being greater in the injury free group. CONCLUSION These results suggest that runners who have developed stride patterns that incorporate relatively low levels of impact forces, and a moderately rapid rate of pronation are at a reduced risk of incurring overuse running injuries.