Influence of muscle stiffness and stretching effect on exercise-induced muscle damage

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K19985
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59020:Sports sciences-related
• Research Institution: Waseda University (2021-2022); Shibaura Institute of Technology (2019-2020)
• Principal Investigator: Hirata Kosuke 早稲田大学, スポーツ科学学術院, 助教 (00835746)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 運動誘発性筋損傷 / 筋痛 / ハムストリング / スティフネス / 柔軟性 / ストレッチング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Twenty young males performed 100 eccentric knee flexions with maximal effort. After the exercise, decrease in isometric knee flexion torque, increase in muscle soreness, and increase in semitendinosus stiffness were obserbed. Increase in semitendinosus stiffness was significantly correlated with decrease in knee flexion torque. These results suggest that semitendinosus is the most susceptible muscle to exercise-induced muscle damage among hamstring. Hamstring stiffness measured before exercise was not significantly correlated with changes in knee flexion torque or muscle soreness. Acute improvement in joint flexibility by static stretching did not affect extent of exercise-induced muscle damage.

Free Research Field

スポーツ科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

激しい運動による筋痛の発生は身近な現象であり，筋の損傷に由来する．本研究により，ハムストリングの中で半腱様筋が激しい運動により損傷しやすいことが示唆された．半腱様筋に対する運動後のケアの徹底により，運動誘発性筋損傷からの早期回復が期待される．また，半腱様筋に対する何らかのトレーニングにより運動誘発性筋損傷を低減させることができるかもしれない．スポーツ競技者のみならず，多くの人にとって有益な知見を獲得できた．