Compression Garments and Recovery from Eccentric Exercise: A (31)P-MRS Study

Abstract

The low oxidative demand and muscular adaptations accompanying eccentric exercise hold benefits for both healthy and clinical populations. Compression garments have been suggested to reduce muscle damage and maintain muscle function. This study investigated whether compression garments could benefit metabolic recovery from eccentric exercise. Following 30-min of downhill walking participants wore compression garments on one leg (COMP), the other leg was used as an internal, untreated control (CONT). The muscle metabolites phosphomonoester (PME), phosphodiester (PDE), phosphocreatine (PCr), inorganic phosphate (Pi) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were evaluated at baseline, 1-h and 48-h after eccentric exercise using (31)P-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Subjective reports of muscle soreness were recorded at all time points. The pressure of the garment against the thigh was assessed at 1-h and 48-h following exercise. There was a significant increase in perceived muscle soreness from baseline in both the control (CONT) and compression (COMP) leg at 1-h and 48-h following eccentric exercise (p < 0.05). Relative to baseline, both CONT and COMP showed reduced pH at 1-h (p < 0.05). There was no difference between CONT and COMP pH at 1-h. COMP legs exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) elevated skeletal muscle PDE 1-h following exercise. There was no significant change in PCr/Pi, Mg(2+) or PME at any time point or between CONT and COMP legs. Eccentric exercise causes disruption of pH control in skeletal muscle but does not cause disruption to cellular control of free energy. Compression garments may alter potential indices of the repair processes accompanying structural damage to the skeletal muscle following eccentric exercise allowing a faster cellular repair. Key PointsEccentric exercise results in reduced cellular pH 1 hour after exercise.Graduated compression garments may influence indices of muscle membrane repair and turnover at one-hour recovery from eccentric exercise.Graduated compression garments do not change perceived muscle soreness.

Keywords: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy; muscle damage; muscle metabolism; rehabilitation.

Figure 1.

Illustration of the graduated compression garment (Skins Compression Garments, Sydney, Australia).

Figure 2.

A resting ³¹P-Magnetic Resonance Spectra of the quadriceps muscle group (DEC and NOE enhanced adiabatic pulse sequence; TR 15000). Abbreviations: PME: Phosphodiester, Pi: inorganic phosphate, PDE: Phosphodiester, PCr: Phosphocreatine, γATP: γAdenosine triphosphate, αATP: αAdenosine triphosphate, βATP: βAdenosine triphosphate. The Pi peak observable in the MR spectra comprises two peaks; HPO₄^2- and H₂PO-. The acidic form of the Pi peak resonates closer to the PCr peak than the more basic form, allowing determination of the intracellular pH from the resonance frequency of Pi as either the basic or acidic form of Pi dominates.

Figure 3.

Skeletal muscle intracellular phosphodiester ([PDE]) at baseline, 1hr and 48hrs following eccentric muscle exercise in control (diamonds) and compression (circles). * p < 0.05 compared with control group.

Figure 4.

Skeletal muscle pH at baseline, 1hr and 48hrs following eccentric muscle exercise in control (diamonds) and compression (circles). † p < 0.05 compared with baseline.