Exercise Induced Muscular Damage and Soreness 

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Exercise-Induced Muscular Damage and Soreness

Eccentric movement, generating equal force to a concentric movement, utilizes fewer motor units as fibers develop greater tension while lengthening than shortening. Thus, the tension per fiber is greater during eccentric movements.

Unaccustomed exercise, primarily eccentric, causes a sequence of events that:

• diminishes performance,
• causes ultra structural damage,
• initiates an inflammatory reaction, and
• causes delayed-onset muscular damage (DOMS).

Stages of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage and Soreness

1. During exercise:

• mechanical factors (i.e. high stress) that result in:

• -sarcolemma damage

• -sarcoplasmic reticulum damage

• -myofibrillar damage

• metabolic factors which cause damage that result from:

• -free oxygen radical production

• -excessive temperature

• -decreased pH

2. 0-3 days postexercise:

• Ca²⁺ influx from the SR and outside the muscle cell initiate many of the inflammatory reactions
• production of phagocytic components (i.e. monocytes, neutrophils) to clear damaged and healthy tissue
• myofibrillar damage continues for 3-d postexercise
• cause(s) of DOMS may be:

• -swelling

• -release of stimulants

• -hypersensitivity

• -spasm