Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 21, 2026
08:33
Induction and Assessment of Exertional Skeletal Muscle Damage in Humans
Published on: December 11, 2016
7.9K
Muscle-Tendon Unit Properties during Eccentric Exercise Correlate with the Creatine Kinase Response
Kirsty M Hicks1,2, Gladys L Onambele-Pearson2, Keith Winwood2,3
1Department of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation, Northumbria UniversityNewcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Frontiers in Physiology
|October 5, 2017
Summary
Muscle fascicle lengthening during eccentric exercise correlates with creatine kinase response, a marker of muscle damage. Patellar tendon properties at rest did not correlate with muscle damage markers.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Exercise Physiology
- Muscle Physiology
Background:
- Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is a common outcome of strenuous physical activity.
- Understanding the relationship between muscle/tendon mechanics and EIMD markers is crucial for injury prevention and training optimization.
- Previous research has explored various factors contributing to EIMD, but the specific roles of patellar tendon stiffness and vastus lateralis fascicle behavior during eccentric contractions remain areas of investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlation between patellar tendon stiffness, vastus lateralis fascicle lengthening, and eccentric torque with markers of exercise-induced muscle damage.
- To determine if resting mechanical properties of the patellar tendon and vastus lateralis predict muscle damage.
- To elucidate the role of muscle and tendon mechanics during eccentric contractions in the development of muscle damage.
Main Methods:
- Combined dynamometry and ultrasonography to measure patellar tendon and vastus lateralis properties.
- Measurements were taken pre and during maximal voluntary eccentric knee extensions.
- Markers of muscle damage included maximal isometric torque loss and creatine kinase (CK) activity, assessed at multiple time points post-exercise.
Main Results:
- Significant increases in creatine kinase (883 ± 667 UL) and reductions in maximal isometric torque loss (21%) were observed post-exercise.
- The change in creatine kinase from pre to peak significantly correlated with vastus lateralis fascicle lengthening (r = 0.53, p = 0.02) and eccentric torque (r = 0.50, p = 0.02).
- Creatine kinase showed a trend towards correlation with patellar tendon lengthening during contractions (p < 0.10), but no correlations were found between resting properties and muscle damage markers, nor between torque loss and any measured mechanical properties.
Conclusions:
- The degree of fascicle strain during eccentric contractions is linked to the magnitude of the creatine kinase response following exercise-induced muscle damage.
- While resting patellar tendon properties do not correlate with muscle damage markers, the patellar tendon may influence the creatine kinase response during eccentric contractions.
- These findings highlight the importance of muscle architecture changes during eccentric loading in the context of muscle damage and recovery.
Keywords:
creatine kinaseexercise-induced muscle damagefascicle strainmaximal isometric torque losstendon stiffnessMore Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:20Motor Unit Stimulation
4.0K
When the neuron of a motor unit fires an action potential, it triggers a series of events, leading to a twitch contraction in the muscle fibers. The process of excitation-contraction coupling is crucial in relaying the action potential to the muscle fibers.
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
4.0K
01:24Muscle Recovery and Fatigue
4.5K
Muscle fatigue refers to the decline in a muscle's ability to maintain the force of contraction after prolonged activity. It primarily stems from changes within muscle fibers. Even before experiencing muscle fatigue, one may feel tired and have the urge to stop the activity. This response, known as central fatigue, occurs due to changes in the central nervous system, namely the brain and spinal cord. While there is no single mechanism that induces fatigue, it may serve as a protective...
4.5K
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
2.7K
Exercise induces a range of adaptations in muscle tissue, depending on the type and duration of activity. Such physical training can be broadly categorized into two types: endurance exercises and resistance exercises.
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
2.7K
01:20Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal Muscles
16.0K
Excitation-contraction coupling is a series of events that occur between generating an action potential and initiating a muscle contraction. It occurs at the triad, a structure found in skeletal muscle fibers that comprise a T-tubule and terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum on each side. These triads are visible in longitudinally sectioned muscle fibers. They are typically located at the A-I junction — the junction between the A and I bands of the sarcomere.
When an action...
When an action...
16.0K
01:25Energy Supply for Muscle Contraction
5.9K
Skeletal muscle fibers have the unique ability to switch between rest and contraction states, using different sources of ATP for energy. The contraction cycle and Ca2+ transport back into the sarcoplasmic reticulum for relaxation require significant ATP. However, the ATP reserves in muscle fibers are limited and can only sustain contractions for a few seconds. Additional ATP production becomes necessary for prolonged contractions. As a result, muscle fibers generate ATP through various sources,...
5.9K
01:26Cross-bridge Cycle
123.3K
As muscle contracts, the overlap between the thin and thick filaments increases, decreasing the length of the sarcomere—the contractile unit of the muscle—using energy in the form of ATP. At the molecular level, this is a cyclic, multistep process that involves binding and hydrolysis of ATP, and movement of actin by myosin.
123.3K