The effect of topical thiocolchicoside in preventing and reducing the increase of muscle tone, stiffness, and soreness

Abstract

In professional road cyclists, the majority of overuse injuries affect the lower limbs and are mostly represented by contractures or muscle shortening, characterized by an increase of tone and stiffness and a variation of elasticity. Treatment and prevention of these specific conditions may include physical, supplementary, and pharmacologic support. The aim of this real-life study was to determine: first, the alterations of tone, stiffness, elasticity, and soreness of rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) in top class cyclists engaged in 3 multistage races, and second, whether any variable in the management of the athletes may affect the prevention and/or reduction of such alterations.Twenty-three professional cyclists competing in 3 international, cycling stage races were assessed. Athletes could receive, upon the approval of the medical staff, physical, dietary, and/or pharmacological management which could include treatments with topical over-the-counter myorelaxants to prevent and/or reduce muscle contractures. MyotonPro was used to daily measure tone, stiffness, and elasticity in RF and BF in relaxed and contracted state after every stage. In parallel, BF and RF soreness was also assessed with a Likert scale.All athletes received the same general massage management; none of them received dietary supplements; some of the athletes were treated with a topical myorelaxant thiocolchicoside (TCC 0.25%) foam 3 times daily. TCC was identified as the only variable able to affect these muscle parameters in the cyclists. Tone, stiffness (regardless of the state), and soreness significantly increased over time either in BF or RF in all athletes. In the group of athletes that used TCC (n = 11; TCC+) the increase in tone, stiffness, and soreness was significantly lower than in the group not receiving TCC (n = 12; No-TCC). Elasticity varied coherently with tone and stiffness.A very intense and protracted sport activity increases muscular tone, stiffness, and soreness over time. Topical TCC foam significantly attenuates these alterations and might represent an efficient strategy both to prevent and manage contractures and their consequences in professional cyclists as well in athletes from other disciplines involving similar workloads.

Treatment of Achilles Tendinopathy in Recreational Runners with Peritendinous Hyaluronic Acid Injections: A Viscoelastometric, Functional, and Biochemical Pilot Study

“…In this regard, tone and stiffness are two parameters expressing the viscoelastic state of living tissues (muscles and tendons), which have been shown to reflect their biomechanical/functional status and integrity [ 14 , 27 ]. The tone and stiffness values augment with the increase of the contraction levels, exhaustive activity, and ageing [ 28 , 29 ]. Recently Morgan et al [ 30 ] and Finnamore et al [ 16 ] reported that AT induces appreciable alterations in Achilles tendon viscoelasticity suggesting a correlation between tendon integrity and its viscoelastic properties.…”

The use of skeletal muscle relaxants in musculoskeletal injuries: what is the evidence?

“…95 Therefore more research is required. [94][95][96] It does not appear if there is a role for SMRs as part of combination management for acute cervical strains [80][81] , post-exercise muscle soreness [87][88] , or myofascial pain syndrome [110][111][112][113][114][115][116] but again more research is required. 117 The page number in the footer is not for bibliographic referencing www.tandfonline.com/oemd 13…”

Assessment of Passive Stiffness of Medial and Lateral Heads of Gastrocnemius Muscle, Achilles Tendon, and Plantar Fascia at Different Ankle and Knee Positions Using the MyotonPRO

“…Compared with the single-axis accelerometer in the Myoton-2 and Myoton-3 devices, the MyotonPRO device has a tri-axial accelerometer, making it more versatile in terms of application [7]. Investigators in various fields have used the device, including in sport medicine [8,9], rehabilitation [10], and spaceflight [11]. Previous studies have shown that the MyotonPRO can reliably assess stiffness of MG, the lateral head of the gastrocnemius (LG), AT, and plantar fascia (PF) [12–14].…”