AUTHOR=Kusmierczyk Justyna , Wiecek Magdalena , Bawelski Marek , Szygula Zbigniew , Rafa-Zablocka Katarzyna , Kantorowicz Malgorzata , Szymura Jadwiga 

TITLE=Pre-exercise cryotherapy reduces myoglobin and creatine kinase levels after eccentric muscle stress in young women

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2024.1413949

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2024.1413949

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Introduction:</bold> The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of pre-exercise whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) on muscle damage indicators following eccentric treadmill exercise in young women.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Twenty-seven participants underwent two 1-h downhill treadmill runs, replicating 60% of their maximal oxygen uptake, with a 4-week intermission for recovery and treatment application. In this intermission, one group underwent 20 sessions of WBC, delivered five times a week at −120°C for 3 min each, while the comparison group received no such treatment. Markers of muscle injury—serum myoglobin concentration, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activity and also uric acid, and cell-free DNA concentration—were measured before and after downhill runs.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> The study observed a notable reduction in post-exercise myoglobin and CK levels in the WBC group after the second running session.</p><p><bold>Discussion:</bold> The results suggest that WBC can have a protective effects against muscle damage resulting from eccentric exercise.</p>