Vibromassage promotes rapid recovery after intense exercise – biochemical analysis.

Increased and prolonged physical exertion often causes delayed muscle soreness (“soreness”). This is caused by the development of inflammatory processes in response to mechanical damage to skeletal muscle. Muscle efficiency then decreases, and muscle mass and strength may also be reduced. Researchers from the University of Physical Education in Krakow, analyzing the concentrations of selected biochemical indicators on a group of 20 young men, have shown that the application of oscillatory-cycloidal vibration during 60 minutes of rest after prolonged (120 minutes) and intense exercise promotes faster and more effective recovery than rest without vibration.

In the current scientific literature, there is a growing interest in biological recovery techniques for conducting the most effective professional exercise trainingThe use of cryotherapy and massages are described, as well as, more recently, the promising effects of vibrotherapy. However, reports on the effects of vibration with well-defined parameters on biochemical indicators of muscle damage are lacking, so we investigated the effects of one-hour treatments with the Vitberg+ Rehabilitation Massaging Apparatus (RAM), which generates oscillatory-cycloidal vibration with well-defined parameters, on the levels of selected biochemical indicators before, during or after training.

• The vibrations allowed the elevated concentration of lactate present in the blood, indicative of fatigue, to decrease faster. After 15, 30 or 60 min of post-exercise rest on vibrating modules, lactate concentrations were lower by about 15, 13 or 18%, respectively, relative to the control group without vibration (placebo).

• 1 or 24 h after training, in the group subjected to vibration during the post-workout rest phase, interleukin-6 or myoglobin concentrations (indicative, when elevated, of ongoing inflammation or muscle damage, respectively) were about 23-31% lower relative to the control group (placebo).

The effect of vibro-massage on the level of selected marker of muscle damage and connective tissues after long-term physical exercise in males. Tyka A, Pałka T, Piotrowska A, Żiżka D, Pilch W, Cebula A, Tyka A. JKES 2018; 28 (82): 21-27; DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0013.5088.

Study population

The study included 20 men (22 ± 2.5 years) presenting similar physical activity and anatomical and physiological parameters, such as height (179 ± 1.0 cm), body weight (74.3 ± 1.7 kg), body fat (10.8 ± 0.6%) and aerobic ceiling/oxygen capacity (VO2 max = 52.6 ± 8.0 ml*kg-1*min-1). Participants were asked to maintain appropriate dietary habits and levels of physical activity during the study.

Study procedure

The experiment consisted of 2 phases. Among other things, the preliminary phase analyzed basic physiological parameters and body structure and composition. During the baseline phase, the effect of lower limb vibromassage on restitution after intensive stationary bike training was studied (see below). Men were randomly assigned to 2 groups of 10: A and B. In the first part of the baseline phase, during post-exercise rest, Group A was administered vibration (appropriate modules delivering oscillatory-cycloidal vibration were used – see below), while Group B served as a control (men rested on placebo modules, without vibration – see below). After 2 weeks, the protocols for each group were swapped, i.e. group A received a placebo, while vibration was given to group B.

Exercise training was performed on a stationary bicycle (cycloergometer ER 800D – 72475 BIT2, ERG, Jaeger, Germany). All men performed exercise for 120 minutes at the specified intensity: VO2 max = 50%, pace = 90 RPM, using maximum accelerations lasting 30 s every 30 min. Immediately after exercise, study participants dried their bodies, took a 4-min shower (water at 21 ± 2.0 °C), had their body weight measured, and then underwent a 60-min session of vibration or sham vibration – placebo. Before training, just after, as well as 1 h and 24 h after training, blood was drawn from the elbow vein (15 ml) for biochemical determinations. Among other things, hemoglobin was studied using the Drabkin method and hematocrit using the microhematocrit method. Changes in the concentrations of myoglobin (Mb), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and extracellular matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) were analyzed using immunoenzymatic ELISA. The concentration of lactate in blood taken from the auricle before, just after, and 15, 30 and 60 min after training was also determined. The Mini-photometer plus DR Lange, type LP-20, Dr. Lange (Germany), was used for this purpose.

Use of vibrotherapy in the study

Vibration was administered in a semi-reclined position using RAM Vitberg+ (Poland). The Base + Knee module was used. The therapeutic stimulus was oscillatory-cycloidal vibrations distributed in 3 directions, the parameters of which varied in fixed ranges: 0.1-0.5 mm (amplitude), 20-52 Hz (frequency) and 6.9-13.5 m/s2 (acceleration). A single vibromassage session lasted 60-min, and the vibrations were briefly paused at different amplitudes, frequencies and accelerations.

The placebo treatment consisted of treating the men in the same way as in the test group with one difference – they were not given vibrationSpecially designed placebo modules (Vitberg) were used, not different in shape, overall appearance and equipment from RAM Vitberg+. In addition, although the placebo modules did not generate vibrations, they also produced the same sound signals as the RAM Vitberg+, also subject to changes in intensity and paused at different phases of the placebo procedure.

Results

Results were presented as arithmetic mean ± standard deviation. The level of statistical significance was taken as p < 0.05

Lactate

Blood lactate concentration [mmol/L] in men subjected to vibration or placebo during post-workout rest was not significantly different immediately after training (1.99 ± 0.39 vs. 2.17 ± 0.57, respectively, p = 0.26). In contrast, 15, 30 or 60 min later – fell significantly faster in the vibration-treated group relative to placebo (1.72 ± 0.38 vs 2.03 ± 0.59, p = 0.049; 1.41 ± 0.24 vs 1.62 ± 0.25, p = 0.02; 1.36 ± 0.17 vs 1.65 ± 0.42, p = 0.02; respectively).

IL-6, Mb, MMP-2

Concentrations of IL-6 [pg/ml], Mb [ng/ml] and MMP-2 [ng/ml] in the blood of men subjected to vibration during post-workout rest were not significantly different before and just after training relative to placebo, but were significantly lower (IL-6, MMP-2) or higher (Mb) 1 h after training (10.44 ± 3.02 vs 13.96 ± 4.11; 6.92 ± 3.48 vs 8.95 ± 5.49; 34.07 ± 28.25 vs 31.38 ± 25.86; respectively) or 24 h after training (7.48 ± 3.08 vs 10.35 ± 2.51; 6.17 ± 4.40 vs 8.99 ± 3.95; 16.41 ± 7.25 vs 13.95 ± 5.67; respectively) in the vibration-treated group relative to placebo (p < 0.05).

Summary of the analysis of the dynamics of changes in the studied biochemical indicators

The effectiveness of vibromassage (applied during the rest period immediately following training) in accelerating recovery was estimated by analyzing the dynamics of changes in the concentrations of the biochemical indicators studied Ultimately, the results indicated that the vibration-treated men recovered faster than the placebo group.

Comment

In the study presented here, it was shown that a single prolonged exercise causes significant disturbances in the body’s homeostasis, which are still present even 24 hours after the end of the exercise. The use of oscillatory-cycloidal vibration with specific parameters during post-workout rest accelerates recovery. This was evidenced by a reduction in blood levels of lactate, IL-6 and Mb, elevated levels of which are associated with a sense of fatigue, the development of inflammatory processes or skeletal muscle damage, respectively. On the other hand, increasing the concentration of MMP-2 by applied vibrotherapy relative to placebo may influence more efficient remodeling of the extracellular matrix – it may stimulate angiogenesis, and by improving blood supply/nutrition to adjacent tissues, also regeneration of the body.

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