Acute Effects Of Cooling On Muscle Contractile Properties

In order to complement sport training and to induce regeneration processes of muscle, ice pack application (IPA) is often used by athletes. Physiological mechanisms are relatively well investigated while there is faintly research aimed at investigating muscle contractile properties (MCP) after IPA treatment. To test the acute effects of IPA cooling on MCP, we used tensiomyography (TMG), as a non-invasive and selective method of neuromuscular assessment. PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of IPA on MCP by TMG method. METHODS: Sixteen healthy participants (50% males; 19-20 yr) participated in this study. Tensiomyographic assessment was performed before and immediately after 15 minutes of IPA treatment on vastus medialis. From tensiomyographic response we extracted and analysed delay time (Td), contraction time (Tc), sustain time (Ts), half-relaxation time (Tr), and maximal displacement/Dm). RESULTS: After IPA we found that Td, Tc, Ts and Tr values increased (p< 0.010) by 6.2% (ES= 2.61), 6.0% (ES= 2.06), 29.7% (ES= 1.99), and 26.6% (ES= 2.01), respectively, while Dm decreased (p = 0.001) by 12.7% (ES=2.61). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that IPA treatment significantly altered MCP after only 15 minutes of exposure. This plays an important role in skeletal muscle behavior immediately after cooling procedures and should be taken into account when planning training or rehabilitation programs.