MR measurements of muscle damage and adaptation after eccentric exercise

The purposes of this study were, first, to clarify the long-term pattern of T2 relaxation times and muscle volume changes in human skeletal muscle after intense eccentric exercise and, second, to determine whether the T2 response exhibits an adaptation to repeated bouts. Six young adult men performed two bouts of eccentric biceps curls (5 sets of 10 at 110% of the 1-repetition concentric maximum) separated by 8 wk. Blood samples, soreness ratings, and T2-weighted axial fast spin-echo magnetic resonance images of the upper arm were obtained immediately before and after each bout; at 1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, and 56 days after bout 1; and at 2, 4, 7 and 14 days after bout 2. Resting muscle T2 [27.6 +/- 0.2 (SE) ms] increased immediately postexercise by 8 +/- 1 ms after both bouts. T2 peaked 7 days after bout 1 at 47 +/- 4 ms and remained elevated by 2.5 ms at 56 days. T2 peaked lower (37 +/- 4 ms) and earlier (2-4 days) after bout 2, suggesting an adaptation of the T2 response. Peak serum creatine kinase values, pain ratings, and flexor muscle swelling were also significantly lower after the second bout (P < 0.05). Total volume of the imaged arm region increased transiently after bout 1 but returned to preexercise values within 2 wk. The exercised flexor compartment swelled by over 40%, but after 2 wk it reverted to a volume 10% smaller than that before exercise and maintained this volume loss through 8 wk, consistent with partial or total destruction of a small subpopulation of muscle fibers.