Haematological and acute-phase responses associated with delayed-onset muscle soreness in humans

Abstract

Delayed-onset muscle soreness following unaccustomed or eccentric exercise is associated with inflammation, tissue necrosis and the release of muscle enzymes (Newham et al. 1983). We have investigated the time course of changes in circulating leucocytes and serum levels of some acute phase reactants, serum creatine kinase activity (CK) and muscle pain after a 40-min bout of bench-stepping exercise in eight healthy untrained subjects. Leg muscle soreness was greatest 2 days after the exercise bout. Peak serum CK values [mean (SD) 540 (502) IU.1-1] occurred 1-7 days post-exercise. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) was unchanged from pre-exercise levels [7.8 (3.4) mg.1-1] immediately post-exercise [7.9 (2.3) mg.1-1] but rose to a peak of 17.0 (3.9) mg.1-1 1 day post-exercise, thereafter declining to basal levels. Serum levels of iron and zinc fell below pre-exercise levels for 1-3 days post-exercise. Serum albumin, IgG and IgM fell below pre-exercise levels from 1 day post-exercise, reaching minimal values (about 80% of basal levels) at 7 days post-exercise. The exercise did not appear to significantly affect serum levels of alpha-1-antitrypsin and alpha-1-acid glycoprotein. Two and three days after the exercise bout the circulating numbers of total leucocytes, neutrophils, monocytes and basophils fell 15-20% below pre-exercise levels, whereas lymphocytes, eosinophils and platelets were unchanged. The results indicate that a rapid acute phase inflammatory response is initiated within 1 day of a bout of exercise that induces delayed-onset muscle soreness, and that any later tissue necrosis that may occur is not accompanied by further marked changes in acute-phase reactants such as CRP.

Alterations in acute-phase reactants (CRP, rheumatoid factor, complement, Factor B, and immune complexes) following an ultramarathon

“…Although elevated resting levels of CRP were shown in this study and have been shown elsewhere, 14,27 more studies seem to be revealing that athletes exhibit a chronic training/exercise-induced reduction in resting CRP concentrations. 17,22,29 Whether these suppressed resting levels of CRP increase an individual's susceptibility to infection remains to be investigated.…”

Peripheral blood leucocyte functional responses to acute eccentric exercise in humans are influenced by systemic stress, but not by exercise-induced muscle damage

“…Bench stepping has been shown previously to evoke extensive muscle fibre damage, the release of muscle-specific enzymes into the serum and significant postexercise muscle soreness [11,17], as well as a rapid acutephase response in untrained individuals [11]. In the present study, STEP evoked only moderate post-exercise muscle soreness without any increase in serum CK activity in our recreationally active participants.…”

“…Exercise that involves a substantial proportion of eccentric muscular activity, in which the active muscles are forcibly lengthened, increases the degree of ultrastructural injury within myofibres [3,4], and this can evoke a significant local inflammatory response [5]. This is characterized by leucocyte infiltration into exercisedamaged tissue [6,7], an increased local production of inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, prostaglandins and leukotrienes [8][9][10], and a systemic acutephase response [11]. The inflammatory response to mechanical trauma could account for the progressive release of muscle-specific enzymes into the serum and feelings of soreness that are often observed in untrained subjects in the days after eccentric exercise [5,12].…”

Pilot Study on the Effect of Grounding on Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness

“…The normal inflammatory reaction is for the neutrophils to rapidly invade the damaged cells, 12,[24][25][26] where they initiate cleanup and ultimately help in the signaling of the repair process. 12,27,28 One of their actions is to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS).…”