Abstract
Background: The impact of compression on overexertion-related muscle injuries such as delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a subject of controversy. Identifying the mechanisms, optimal conditions, and application settings under which compression therapy may alter muscle metabolism and improve recovery is crucial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of wearing below-knee compression garments during exercise and a post-exercise period of 6 hours on clinical, functional, and morphological outcomes in DOMS in the lower limb.Methods: Eighteen healthy volunteers (age: 24.1 ±3.6 years, BMI 22.7 ± 2.7 kg/m2) were enrolled in this controlled laboratory study. Repeated measures were aquired at baseline (T0), 6 h (T1), and 48 h (T2) after a standardized eccentric and plyometric exercise protocol, with the participants wearing a compression garment (21-22 mmHg) on a randomly selected calf during and for the first 6 h after exercise. Magnet resonance imaging (MRI) was performed using a 3T scanner for quantification of intramuscular edema (T2 signal intensity (SI), T2 time, and manual volume segmentation); jump height, calf circumference, ankle dorsiflexion (DF), creatine kinase (CK) levels, and muscle soreness were assessed for clinical and functional evaluation. Results: DOMS was confirmed in all participants after 48 h, with a significant increase in muscle soreness (p < 0.001) and CK levels (p = 0.001), decrease in jump height (p < 0.01), and the presence of intramuscular edema (p < 0.01) in both the compressed and non-compressed limbs. No differences between the compressed and non-compressed limbs were observed for muscle soreness and jump height at any point in time. Similarly, MRI T2 SI, T2 time, soreness, and manual segmentation revealed no significant effect of the compression treatment. The assessment of calf circumference and DF showed no statistically significant changes at any point of time in either the compression or non-compression limb (p = 1.0). Conclusions: The continuous application of below-knee compression garments during combined eccentric and plyometric exercise and until 6 h post-exercise has no significant effect on clinical signs of DOMS, jump performance, or the development of intramuscular edema observed in MRI.
Effect of compression garments on muscle perfusion in delayed‐onset muscle soreness: A quantitative analysis using intravoxel incoherent motion MR perfusion imaging
