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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1564877
Exploring the effects and mechanisms of compression garment intervention for delayed onset muscle soreness based on diffusion tensor imaging and physiological indices: a randomized crossover trial
Provisionally accepted- 1 East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- 2 Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China
Objective: To evaluate the intervention effect and underlying mechanism of compression garments (CG) on delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) post-exercise, using Magnetic-Resonance diffusion tensor imaging (MR-DTI) alongside physiological and biochemical markers.Methods: Seven healthy adult males participated in a randomized crossover trial, alternating between control (Con) and compression garment (CG) conditions with a 7-day washout period. DOMS was induced by five sets of 20 deep jumps. Participants wore either loose clothing (Con group) or full-leg compression leggings (CG group) during exercise and recovery. Measurements included muscle soreness indices, maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), serum creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities at baseline, 0h, 24h, and 48h post-exercise. MR-DTI metrics measured at baseline and 24h post-exercise.Results: The CG group exhibited significantly lower muscle soreness at all post-exercise time points compared to the Con group (P < 0.01). MVC recovery was faster in the CG group, with values returning to baseline by 48h post-exercise. CK and LDH levels peaked at 24h and 0h post-exercise, respectively, with significantly lower values in the CG group at corresponding time points. MR-DTI revealed lower MD（Mean Diffusivity）, RD（Radial Diffusivity）, and eigenvalues (λ1, λ2) in the CG group at 24h post-exercise which indicated that the CG group experienced a lower degree of tissue edema. Conclusion: This study showed that the use of CG during exercise and recovery effectively promotes the recovery of DOMS-related symptoms. MRI-based tensor imaging demonstrates that CG mitigates DOMS by limiting tissue edema through continuous pressure applied during exercise and recovery.
Keywords: Compression garments, DOMS, Thigh muscles, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Creatine Kinase
Received: 22 Jan 2025; Accepted: 07 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Qin, Chen, Yang and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Caizhen Chen, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
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