Regional differences of mechanical properties in a biceps brachii following eccentric exercise

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the effects of eccentric exercise (ECC) on the indices of mechanical properties together with markers of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) in different sites of the biceps brachii (BB) muscle. METHODS: ECC using an elbow joint was performed in 13 non-trained, college men. Global symptoms of EIMD were identified through changes in muscle soreness and serum creatine kinase (CK) activity, including muscle function following ECC. To evaluate regional EIMD, muscle swelling and tenderness as well as muscular echo intensity were measured at distal (4 cm above the elbow joint) and middle (30% of the distance from the antecubital crease to the acromion) sites within the BB muscle. A handheld myotonometer was used to estimate changes in mechanical properties, that is, oscillation frequency (F), dynamic stiffness (S), and relaxation time (R), of BB muscles after ECC. RESULTS: A significant difference in the major markers of EIMD, such as muscle soreness and serum CK activity, along with parameters of muscle function, was observed after ECC compared to baseline. Although all indirect markers of regional muscle damage demonstrated meaningful differences between before and after ECC, no statistically significant interaction between the distal and middle sites was observed in any of the markers. After ECC, both distal and middle sites showed significant changes in F, S, and R, but no statistical differences in changes in muscle mechanical properties were observed between localized muscle sites within BB muscles. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in mechanical properties, including regional muscle damage, seem to be uniformly influenced by differenanatomical locations within the BB muscle, such as elbow flexors, following ECC.