WARM-UP, STRETCHING AND MASSAGE DIMINISH HARMFUL EFFECTS OF ECCENTRICEXERCISE

The effect of a combination of a warm-up, stretching exercises and mas sage on subjective scores for delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and objective functional and biochemical measures was studied. Fifty peop le, randomly divided in a treatment and a control group, performed ecc entric exercise with the forearm flexors for 30 min. The treatment gro up additionally performed a warmup and underwent a stretching protocol before the eccentric exercise and massage afterwards. Functional and biochemical measures were obtained before, and 1, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after exercise. The median values at the five post-exercise time point s differed significantly for DOMS measured when the arm was extended ( p = 0.043). Significant main effects for treatment were found on the m aximal force (p = 0.026), the flexion angle of the elbow (p = 0.014) a nd the creatine kinase activity in blood (p = 0.006). No time-by-treat ment interactions were found. DOMS on pressure, extension angle and my oglobin concentration in blood did not differ between the groups. This combination of a warm-up, stretching and massage reduces some negativ e effects of eccentric exercise, but the results are inconsistent, sin ce some parameters were significantly affected by the treatment wherea s others were not, despite the expected efficacy of a combination of t reatments. The objective measures did not yield more unequivocal resul ts than the subjective DOMS scores.