Effects of Downhill and Uphill Exercises of Equivalent Submaximal Intensities on Selected Blood Cytokine Levels and Blood Creatine Kinase Activity

Abstract

The study was aimed at comparing the effects of concentric (CONC) and eccentric (ECC) exercises of equivalent (in terms of relative work load expressed as a percentage of VO2max) moderate intensity on selected blood cytokine levels and blood creatine kinase (CK) activity. Twenty recreationally active healthy young male volunteers were randomized between two groups that performed a single 1 h bout of CONC (uphill running) or ECC (downhill running) exercise at 60% of the respective individual VO2max. Venous blood taken 1 h before, at the end, and 24 h after the exercise was processed for plasma and analyzed for CK activity and IL-6, IL-1β and TNFα levels. There was no between-group difference in these cytokines prior to or just after the exercise, and in pre-exercise CK activity. The cytokines elevated significantly and similarly in both groups during the exercise, with no significant change in CK activity. Twenty-four hours later, CK activity and IL-6 were at pre-exercise levels in the CONC group, but showed further major increases in the ECC group, resulting in marked between-group differences in these indices. Changes in IL-1β and TNFα levels during the recovery period showed only minor differences between the study groups and produced no significant between-group difference in these cytokines. However, IL-1β level normalized in the ECC but not in the CONC group. The study suggests that moderate intensity ECC exercise compared to CONC exercise of equivalent relative work load results in considerably greater muscle damage and its related elevation in circulating IL-6, but it does not cause a major systemic inflammatory response.

Stretch imposed on active muscle elicits positive adaptations in strain risk factors and exercise‐induced muscle damage

“…Statistical significance for all tests was accepted at P < 0.05. 23,31,32 To ensure adequate statistical power for all analyses, power analysis was conducted for tendon stiffness (ie, the variable with the smallest effect size) using the following parameters (variable = tendon stiffness, power = 0.80, alpha = 0.05, effect size = 1.1, attrition = 20%). The analysis revealed that the total sample size required for statistical power was 22, thus 28 subjects were initially recruited to account for possible attrition.…”

“…Effect sizes (Cohen's D ) were calculated from mean changes in variables (strength [ES = 1.65], hypertrophy [ES = 1.58], creatine kinase [ES = 3.95], ROM [ES = 1.78], tendon stiffness [ES = 1.10], elastic energy storage [ES = 1.88], and peak passive moment [ES = 2.11]) from previous studies employing similar interventions . To ensure adequate statistical power for all analyses, power analysis was conducted for tendon stiffness (ie, the variable with the smallest effect size) using the following parameters (variable = tendon stiffness, power = 0.80, alpha = 0.05, effect size = 1.1, attrition = 20%).…”

Comparison of the effects of minimally invasive percutaneous pedicle screws osteosynthesis and open surgery on repairing the pain, inflammation and recovery of thoracolumbar vertebra fracture

“…The increase in creatine kinase activity in serum is correlated with the degree of muscle stripping, the range and the time. Thus, creatine kinase is a better indicator in the assessment of muscle injury ( 18 – 24 ). Our results demonstrate that creatine kinase activities post-operation in both groups were significantly higher than those pre-operation (P<0.05).…”

Application of A Physiological Strain Index in Evaluating Responses to Exercise Stress – A Comparison Between Endurance and High Intensity Intermittent Trained Athletes

“…The strain of the physiological mechanisms during exercise is influenced by many factors such as morphological including body mass (Anderson, 1999; Cheung et al, 2000; Havenith et al, 1998; Havenith, 2001) and body composition (Jay and Kenney, 2007), age (Moran et al, 2002; Pandolf, 1997), gender (Moran et al, 1999), body hydration (Merry et al, 2010; Moran et al, 1998b; Maughan and Shireffs, 2010), aerobic capacity (Merry et al, 2010; Mora-Rodrigez et al, 2010; Tikuisis et al, 2002), heat acclimation (Aoyagi et al, 1997; Kondo et al, 2009; Nadel et al, 1974; Periard et al, 2015), a type of exercise, environmental conditions and protective clothing (Borg et al, 2015; Epstein and Moran, 2006; Gonzalez-Alonso, 2012; Pilch et al, 2014; Pokora et al, 2014). …”