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Relationship between post-exercise plasma CK elevation and muscle mass involved in the exercise.
1Institute of Sports Medicine, Yokohama City University, Japan.
International Journal of Sports Medicine
|August 1, 1992
Summary
Eccentric exercise causes muscle damage, increasing plasma creatine kinase (CK). This study found that exercising both arms simultaneously did not significantly elevate CK levels more than exercising one arm at a time.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Eccentric exercise is known to induce muscle damage.
- Plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity is a common biomarker for muscle damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if a greater volume of eccentric exercise leads to a proportionally larger increase in plasma CK activity.
- To determine if exercising both arms simultaneously results in a higher post-exercise plasma CK response compared to exercising one arm per session.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-two untrained females performed maximal eccentric forearm flexions.
- Group A exercised both arms in one session (48 actions total), while Group B exercised one arm per session (24 actions per session) separated by 3-5 weeks.
- Plasma CK activity, isometric force, range of motion, and muscle soreness were measured before and for 5 days post-exercise.
Main Results:
- All muscle damage indicators (CK, force, range of motion, soreness) significantly changed over time in both groups.
- There were no significant differences in the changes of these indicators between exercising one arm or both arms simultaneously.
- The expected two-fold increase in plasma CK for the double-arm exercise group was not observed.
Conclusions:
- The volume of eccentric muscle damage, whether performed in one or two limbs within a session, does not proportionally increase plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity.
- Current biomarkers may not fully capture the cumulative effect of muscle damage when exercise is distributed across multiple limbs in a single session.