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Ipsilateral resistance exercise prevents exercise-induced central sensitization in the contralateral limb: a randomized controlled trial

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the hypothesis that a repeated bout of eccentric exercise (ECC2) would result in smaller increase in the sensitivity of spinal nociceptive system, and smaller decrease in the local muscle blood oxygenation response in both the ipsilateral and the contralateral tibialis anterior muscle (TA) when compared with the initial bout (ECC1). It was hypothesized that the magnitude of the repeated bout effect (RBE) would be greater for the ipsilateral side than the contralateral side.

Methods

Twenty-six healthy young men performed two bouts of high-intensity eccentric exercise of TA separated by 2 weeks. Half of the participants used the same leg for both bouts (IPSI) and the other half used the contralateral leg for ECC2 (CONTRA). Nociceptive withdrawal reflex threshold (NWRT) and local muscle blood oxygenation were assessed for the exercised TA muscle before, immediately after, and one day after exercise.

Results

Significant decreases in NWRT and muscle oxygenation were observed after ECC1 (p < 0.05), but NWRT did not change after ECC2 in both groups. Smaller decreases in muscle oxygenation were observed after ECC2 than ECC1 in both groups with a similar magnitude of the difference between bouts, but an increase in muscle oxygen re-perfusion before ECC2 was only observed in the IPSI group.

Conclusion

These results suggest that contralateral RBE was associated with spinal facilitation of the neuronal pathways situated at a homologous innervation level, and it is unlikely that oxygen re-perfusion improvement plays a major role in the contralateral RBE.

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Abbreviations

CONTRA:

Contralateral

DOMS:

Delayed onset muscle soreness

ECC:

Eccentric exercise

EMG:

Surface electromyography

HHb:

De-oxyhemoglobin

IPSI:

Ipsilateral

MVC:

Maximum voluntary contraction

NIRS:

Near infrared spectroscopy

NWR:

Nociceptive withdrawal reflex

NWRT:

Nociceptive withdrawal reflex threshold

O2Hb:

Oxyhemoglobin

PPT:

Pressure pain threshold

RBE:

Repeated bout effect

TA:

Tibialis anterior

TSI:

Tissue saturation index

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. EN Kamavuako (Aalborg University, Denmark) for methodological recommendations regarding the use of NIRS.

Conflict of interest

No conflicts of interest, financial, or otherwise, are declared by the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Activity and Human Performance Group, SMI, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7 D-3, 9220, Aalborg, Denmark

    Mahdi Hosseinzadeh, Afshin Samani, Ole K. Andersen, Lars Arendt-Nielsen & Pascal Madeleine

  2. Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research, School of Exercise and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia

    Kazunori Nosaka

Authors
  1. Mahdi Hosseinzadeh
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  2. Afshin Samani
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  3. Ole K. Andersen
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  4. Kazunori Nosaka
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  5. Lars Arendt-Nielsen
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  6. Pascal Madeleine
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pascal Madeleine.

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Communicated by Toshio Moritani.

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Hosseinzadeh, M., Samani, A., Andersen, O.K. et al. Ipsilateral resistance exercise prevents exercise-induced central sensitization in the contralateral limb: a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Appl Physiol 115, 2253–2262 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3205-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3205-x

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