Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of icing on relaxed elbow angle, flexed elbow angle, range of motion (ROM), muscle soreness, upper arm circumference, maximum isometric torque, plasma creatine kinase (CK), myoglobin (Mb), protein carbonyl and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) after eccentric contractions (ECC). Twelve male subjects (control group n=6, icing group n=6) performed 70 maximal ECC with the elbow flexors of the non-dominant arm. Isometric torque in the icing group significantly decreased 3 days and 7 days after ECC compared to the control group. These results suggest that icing is ineffective to reduce in direct markers associated with ECC-induced delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and to enhance the recovery of muscle function.
