Effects of sensory-level high-volt pulsed electrical current ondelayed-onset muscle soreness.

J Sports Sci

Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.

Published: September 2006

AI Article Synopsis

  • Ten healthy males and females aged around 21 participated in a study to assess how sensory-level high volt pulsed electrical current (HVPC) influences delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
  • Participants experienced DOMS after performing eccentric elbow flexion exercises and were randomly assigned to either an HVPC treatment group or a placebo group for recovery.
  • The study found no significant difference in arm discomfort, elbow motion, or strength between the HVPC and placebo groups, indicating that HVPC was ineffective in alleviating symptoms of DOMS.

Article Abstract

Ten healthy males and ten healthy females aged 21.5 +/- 3.2 years (mean +/- s) participated in the study, which was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of sensory level-high volt pulsed electrical current (HVPC) on delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Arm discomfort, elbow extension range of motion and isometric elbow flexion strength were obtained as baseline measurements. Delayed-onset muscle soreness was induced in the participants' dominant or non-dominant arm using two sets of 20 maximal eccentric elbow flexion contractions. After the induction of DOMS, the participants were randomly divided into an experimental condition (HVPC) or a placebo condition. The experimental condition consisted of 20 min of HVPC immediately after the induction of DOMS, and 20 min every 24 h for three consecutive days thereafter. The participants in the placebo condition received an intervention similar in design; however, no electrical current was administered. Baseline measurements were reevaluated at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after the induction of DOMS. Three weeks later, the participants returned and the protocol was repeated on the contralateral limb, using the opposite intervention (HVPC or placebo). Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed a significant increase in overall arm discomfort, decrease in elbow extension and decrease in isometric strength for both conditions over time. No significant main effect of treatment, or time-by-treatment interaction, was found for the HVPC condition when compared with the placebo condition for any variable. Sensory-level HVPC, as utilized in our application, was ineffective in reducing the measured variables associated with DOMS.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640410500357226DOI Listing

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