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

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether there are markers that can be used to study the effects of grounding on delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Design and subjects: Eight (8) healthy subjects were exposed to an eccentric exercise that caused DOMS in gastrocnemius muscles of both legs. Four (4) subjects were grounded with electrode patches and patented conductive sheets connected to the earth. Four (4) control subjects were treated identically, except that the grounding systems were not connected to the earth. Outcome measures: Complete blood counts, blood chemistry, enzyme chemistry, serum and saliva cortisols, magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy and pain levels were taken at the same time of day before the eccentric exercise and 24, 48, and 72 hours afterwards. Parameters consistently differing by 10% or more, normalized to baseline, were considered worthy of further study. Results: Parameters that differed by these criteria included white blood cell counts, bilirubin, creatine kinase, phosphocreatine=inorganic phosphate ratios, glycerolphosphorylcholine, phosphorylcholine, the visual analogue pain scale, and pressure measurements on the right gastrocnemius. Conclusions: In a pilot study, grounding the body to the earth alters measures of immune system activity and pain. Since this is the first intervention that appears to speed recovery from DOMS, the pilot provides a basis for a larger study.

Earthing (Grounding) the Human Body Reduces Blood Viscosity—a Major Factor in Cardiovascular Disease

“…19 A pilot study on delayed-onset muscle soreness demonstrated a remarkable reduction of inflammatory mediators, including a reduction in white blood cell count (lymphocytes, neutrophils, and eosinophils). 43 Attenuating inflammation and reducing blood viscosity will help physicians address primary and secondary prevention issues. Blood viscosity can be modified through a number of recognized primary prevention strategies.…”

Earthing the Human Body Influences Physiologic Processes

“…It suggests that contact with the Earth can affect regulation of immune response. 2,3 Earthing the human body during night-time sleep influences thyroid function: it increases concentrations of free T 4 and TSH and diminishes the level of free T 3 . The increase in basal metabolic rate accounts for the thermogenic effect of thyroid hormone that could be expressed in elevated utilization of free T 3 .…”

“…Similar studies were recently published and showed beneficial effects of grounding. [1][2][3][4] Dynamics of changes in measured parameters depends on several factors (e.g., disease and age of individuals, conditions of insulation of human body, the weather, body motion with longitudinal compression of skeleton, the period of grounding, the time of meals, and applied therapy). To eliminate the majority of these factors in experiments, the grounding has been done during night rest in a homogeneous group of people, however, in different time and weather conditions.…”

Analysis of the Charge Exchange Between the Human Body and Ground: Evaluation of “Earthing” From an Electrical Perspective

“…There have been numerous publications in the last decade claiming that health benefits can be realized by maintaining an electrical connection between the www.journalchiromed.com human body and ground [eg, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] ]. This connection is referred to in the lay literature as grounding or earthing.…”