Warm-up reduces delayed onset muscle soreness but cool-down does not: a randomised controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
Does warm-up or cool-down (also called warm-down) reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness?


METHODS
Randomised controlled trial of factorial design with concealed allocation and intention-to-treat analysis.


METHODS
Fifty-two healthy adults (23 men and 29 women aged 17 to 40 years).


METHODS
Four equally-sized groups received either warm-up and cool-down, warm-up only, cool-down only, or neither warm-up nor cool-down. All participants performed exercise to induce delayed-onset muscle soreness, which involved walking backwards downhill on an inclined treadmill for 30 minutes. The warm-up and cool-down exercise involved walking forwards uphill on an inclined treadmill for 10 minutes.


METHODS
Muscle soreness, measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale.


RESULTS
Warm-up reduced perceived muscle soreness 48 hours after exercise on the visual analogue scale (mean effect of 13 mm, 95% CI 2 to 24 mm). However cool-down had no apparent effect (mean effect of 0 mm, 95% CI -11 to 11 mm).


CONCLUSIONS
Warm-up performed immediately prior to unaccustomed eccentric exercise produces small reductions in delayed-onset muscle soreness but cool-down performed after exercise does not.
Law
Roberta Y W
RY
The University of Sydney, Australia.
Herbert
Robert D
RD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010147:Pain Measurement