THE EFFECT OF ELECTRICAL MUSCLE STIMULATION ON MARKERS OF MUSLE INJURY

The purpose of this study was to examine the acute and chronic effects of electrical muscle stimulation on markers of skeletal muscle injury following eccentric exercise. In a randomized crossover design, sedentary male subjects (n = 15) participated in both experimental and control conditions separated by at least two weeks. Muscle injury was induced by having the subjects perform 25 eccentric contractions of the elbow flexors. The experimental condition consisted of applying monophasic high voltage stimulation (MHVS) at the sensory level to the injured muscle. Stimulation treatments lasted 30 minutes and were administered at 5 min, 3 h, 6 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 96 h, and 120 h post exercise. Markers of muscle injury were measured both before and after the stimulation treatments at the aforementioned time points. Preliminary results (n = 5) show that significant changes in isometric strength, arm angles, arm volume, and muscle soreness occurred; although, no significant differences were noted between the treatments. Based on the preliminary data, MHVS does not appear to influence markers of muscle injury following eccentric exercise. A more definitive conclusion will be made after completing our testing of the remaining subjects. Supported by The NATA Research and Education Foundation