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The effect of microcurrent stimulation on exercise-induced muscle soreness in a human injury model

University of British Columbia

Exercise - induced muscle soreness can present several complications including an increased intensity of pain or discomfort, edema, a decrease in range of motion, and loss of eccentric muscle strength. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of prescribed microcurrent stimulation as an effective electrotherapeutic modality for improving the symptoms of muscular soft tissue injury. Fourty - eight healthy, sedentary, male subjects of university age (18-35 years) were randomly divided into four experimental groups: two functional groups (Group A - .3 / .7 Hertz (Hz) and Group B - .3 A 8 Hz), a control group (C), and a sham group (D). They completed 300 eccentric contractions on the Kinetic Communicator (KinCom) using the non - dominant leg to create the exercise - induced muscle injury model. The subjects were tested and data were collected at 0 hours (pre - exercise), immediately post - exercise, 6 to 8 hours post - exercise, and at 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after the exercise bout in the mornings and afternoons. The four variables were tested and analyzed for the effectiveness of the prescribed microcurrent treatment program, to demonstrate significant differences (p < 0.05) among the exercise - induced muscle injury subject groups, and to show if there were any significant frequency intensity effects from the microcurrent stimulation devices. Statistical analysis revealed non - significant differences (p > 0.05) for the group main effect and group interaction effect of all the tested variables. However, there was a significant difference (p < 0.05, p = 0.0001) for all the groups as shown by an effect due to changes over time. The results of this investigation suggest that the prescribed microcurrent treatment had no therapeutic effect on exercise - induced muscle soreness nor did it show a frequency intensity effect by either microcurrent stimulation unit.

Thesis/Dissertation

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2009-07-06

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/10277

Human Kinetics

University of British Columbia

UBCV

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