Changes in Indirect Markers of Muscle Damage and Tendons After Daily Drop Jumping Exercise with Rapid Load Increase

Vidas Paleckis; Mantas Mickevičius; Audrius Snieckus; Vytautas Streckis; Mati Pääsuke; Saulius Rutkauskas; Rasa Steponavičiūtė; Albertas Skurvydas; Sigitas Kamandulis

Changes in Indirect Markers of Muscle Damage and Tendons After Daily Drop Jumping Exercise with Rapid Load Increase

J Sports Sci Med. 2015 Nov 24;14(4):825-33. eCollection 2015 Dec.

Authors

Vidas Paleckis¹, Mantas Mickevičius¹, Audrius Snieckus¹, Vytautas Streckis¹, Mati Pääsuke², Saulius Rutkauskas³, Rasa Steponavičiūtė⁴, Albertas Skurvydas¹, Sigitas Kamandulis¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Sport Science and Innovations, Lithuanian Sports University , Kaunas, Lithuania.
² Institute of Exercise Biology and Physiotherapy, University of Tartu , Tartu, Estonia.
³ Department of Radiology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences , Kaunas, Lithuania.
⁴ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences , Kaunas, Lithuania.

PMID: 26664280
PMCID: PMC4657426

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess changes in indirect markers of muscle damage and type I collagen degradation, as well as, patellar and Achilles tendon morphological differences during nine daily drop-jumps sessions with constant load alternated with rapid increases in load to test the hypothesis that frequent drop-jump training results in negative muscular and tendon adaptation. Young men (n = 9) performed daily drop jump workouts with progression every 3 days in terms of number of jumps, platform height and squat amplitude. Voluntary and electrically evoked knee extensor torque, muscle soreness, blood plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity and carboxyterminal cross-linked telopeptide (ICTP), patellar and Achilles tendon thickness and cross-sectional area (CSA) were assessed at different time points during the training period and again on days 1, 3, 10 and 17 after the training. The findings were as follows: (1) steady decline in maximal muscle strength with major recovery within 24 hours after the first six daily training sessions; (2) larger decline in electrically induced muscle torque and prolonged recovery during last three training sessions; (3) increase in patellar and Achilles tendons CSA without change in thickness towards the end of training period; (4) increase in jump height but not in muscle strength after whole training period. Our findings suggest that frequent drop-jump sessions with constant load alternated with rapid increases in load do not induce severe muscle damage or major changes in tendons, nonetheless, this type of loading is not advisable for muscle strength improvement. Key pointsFrequent drop jump training induces activation mode dependent muscle torque depression late in the training period.No significant changes in the thickness of patellar and Achilles tendons are observed during frequent training, while CSA increases towards the end of training period.Longitudinal effect for jump height but not for muscle strength is evident after the whole training period.

Keywords: Achilles tendon; Stretch-shortening cycle; electrical stimulation; neuromuscular adaptation; patellar tendon.