Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of exercise-induced muscle injury on passive and active wrist joint stiffness. Ten male subjects were repeatedly tested over a period of 11 days, once prior to, and four times following a bout of eccentric exercise with the wrist extensor muscles. Static wrist stiffness was measured by applying a 3° ramp and hold displacement of the manipulandum, which stretched the wrist extensor muscles. Wrist extension maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) declined by 24.5% from pre-exercise to 24 h after the exercise bout (P < 0.001). There was a reduced passive range of motion (ROM) from 82.8° pre-exercise to 70.2° on day 1 (P < 0.01), but no change in the passive joint stiffness at the neutral joint position, suggesting mechanical changes in the non-contractile tissues, or swelling that only resisted movement at the extremes of the ROM. Active joint stiffness at 50% pre-exercise MVC declined from 0.299 Nm deg−1 pre-exercise to 0.254 Nm deg−1 on day 1 (P < 0.025). Active joint stiffness at 10% pre-exercise MVC did not change on any of the days of testing compared to pre-exercise. These findings may indicate that large muscle fibers were more affected by the injury than small muscle fibers.
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Accepted: 7 February 2000
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Leger, A., Milner, T. Passive and active wrist joint stiffness following eccentric exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 82, 472–479 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004210000227
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004210000227