Effect of heat pre-conditioning on recovery following exercise-induced muscle damage

Murali Sabapathy (1, 2) , Frankie Tan (2) , Shadiq Al Hussein (2) , Haiyum Jaafar , Franck Brocherie (3) , Sebastien Racinais (4) , Mohammed Ihsan (5, 2)

1 Singapore Sport Institute
2 NUS - National University of Singapore
3 SEP (EA7370) - French Institute of Sport (INSEP), Laboratory Sport, Expertise and Performance (EA7370)
4 ASPETAR Research and Education Centre
5 ASPETAR Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital [Qatar]

This study investigated the influence of heat pre-conditioning on the recovery of muscle torque, microvascular function, movement economy and stride mechanics following exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). Twenty male participants were equally assigned to a control (CON) and an experimental group (HEAT), and performed a 30-min downhill run (DHR) to elicit EIMD. HEAT group received three consecutive days of heat exposure (45.1 AE 3.2 min of hot water immersion at 42 C) prior to DHR. Microvascular function (near-infrared spectroscopy), maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) torque of the knee extensors, as well as two treadmill-based steady-state runs performed below (SSR-1) and above (SSR-2) the first ventilatory threshold were assessed prior to DHR and repeated for four consecutive days post-DHR (D1-POST to D4-POST). The decline in MVC torque following EIMD was attenuated in HEAT compared with CON at D1-POST (p ¼ 0.037), D3-POST (p ¼ 0.002) and D4-POST (p ¼ 0.022). Muscle soreness increased in both CON and HEAT, but was significantly attenuated in HEAT compared with CON at D2-POST (p ¼ 0.024) and D3-POST (p ¼ 0.013). Microvascular function decreased in CON from D1-POST to D3-POST (p ¼ 0.009 to 0.018), and was lower compared with HEAT throughout D1-POST to D3-POST (p ¼ 0.003 to 0.017). Pre-heat treatment decreased the magnitude of strength loss and muscle soreness, as well as attenuated the decline in microvascular function following EIMD. Heat treatment appears a promising preconditioning strategy when embarking on intensified training periods or competition.

Mots clés: Microvascular function; Skeletal muscle recovery; Near-infrared Spectroscopy; Spring mass model; Heat therapy; Heat shock protein

Domaines: Physiologie du sport; Physiologie [q-bio.TO]

Murali Sabapathy, Frankie Tan, Shadiq Al Hussein, Haiyum Jaafar, Franck Brocherie, et al.. Effect of heat pre-conditioning on recovery following exercise-induced muscle damage. Current Research in Physiology, 2021, 4, pp.155-162. ⟨10.1016/j.crphys.2021.06.002⟩. ⟨hal-03333538⟩