The effect of eccentric arm cycling on muscle damage and injury‐related biomarkers

• Published in: Clinical physiology and functional imaging Vol. 45; no. 1; pp. e12911 - n/a
• Main Authors: Gottschalk, Frode, Gennser, Mikael, Eiken, Ola, Elia, Antonis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.01.2025; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Arm; arm ergometer; Bicycling; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - blood; Creatine; Creatine kinase; Creatine Kinase - blood; Cycles; Damage; eccentric exercise; Eccentricity; Elbow; Elbow (anatomy); Endothelin-1 - blood; Endothelins; endothelin‐1; Female; Flexors; Humans; Kinases; L-Lactate dehydrogenase; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase - blood; Lactate dehydrogenase; Male; maximal voluntary contraction; Muscle Contraction; Muscle, Skeletal - injuries; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Muscles; Myalgia - blood; Myalgia - etiology; Myalgia - physiopathology; myoglobin; Myoglobin - blood; Myoglobins; Original; Physiology; Time Factors; Young Adult; arm ergometer; eccentric exercise; maximal voluntary contraction; endothelin‐1; biomarkers; myoglobin
• ISSN: 1475-0961; 1475-097X; 1475-097X
• DOI: 10.1111/cpf.12911

Purpose There is a scarcity of information regarding the effect of upper‐body eccentric exercise on biomarkers of muscle damage. This study sought to investigate the effect of eccentric arm cycling on muscle damage [exercise‐induced muscle damage (EIMD)]. Method Ten subjects performed a 15 min eccentric arm cycling protocol (cadence 49 ± 7 rpm, power absorbed 248 ± 34 W). Maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the elbow flexors was evaluated at rest and at 5 min, 24 h, and 48 h post‐exercise. In addition, blood samples were drawn at rest and thereafter at 30 min, 24 h, and 48 h intervals after exercise for quantification of creatine kinase (CK), myoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and endothelin (ET‐1) concentrations. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) was assessed using a category ratio scale (0–10). Results Myoglobin was increased from baseline at 30 min post‐exercise (+114%, 46.08 ± 22.17 µg/L, p = 0.018). Individual peak values were higher than baseline values for CK (+72.8%, 204 ± 138 U/L, p = 0.046) and LDH (+17%, 3.3 ± 0.88 nmole/min/mL, p = 0.017), but not for ET‐1 (+9%, 1.4 ± 0.48 pg/mL, p = 0.45). DOMS was reported at 24 h (median 4) and 48 h (median 4) post‐exercise and MVC of the elbow flexors were reduced from baseline (216 ± 44 N) at 5 min (−34%, 147 ± 61 N, p < 0.001), 24 h (−17%, 181 ± 56 N, p = 0.005) and 48 h (−9%, 191 ± 54 N, p = 0.003). Conclusion Eccentric arm cycling incites EIMD with reduced MVC and elevation of myoglobin, CK and LDH.