Effect of exhausting stretch-shortening cycle exercise on the time course of mechanical behaviour in the drop jump: possible role of muscle damage

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of stretch-shortening-cycle-induced muscle damage on the time course of mechanical behaviour in the drop jump. Ten healthy male subjects performed submaximal stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) exercise on a special sledge apparatus. Exhaustion occurred on average within 3 min. A drop jump (DJ) test from a 50-cm height was performed before and immediately after the sledge exercise as well as 2 h, 2 days and 4 days later. The fatigue exercise showed relatively high blood lactate concentration [12.5 (SD 2.6) mmol · 1−1] and an increase of serum creatine kinase (CK) activity delayed by 2 days [540 (SD 407) U · 1−1]. The initial decline in the jump performance (before – immediately after) was related negatively to the early recovery in performance (immediately after – 2 h) (P < 0.05). The early recovery of the knee joint moment at the end of stretch showed a negative correlation to the delayed decrease in DJ performance (2 h – 2 days) (P < 0.01). Thus, the DJ performance showed an initial decline followed by an early recovery and a secondary decline. Both the initial decline and early recovery in the knee joint moment at the end of stretch were related to the corresponding initial (after – 2 h) (P < 0.05) and secondary increases (2 h – 2 days) (P < 0.01) in CK. It is suggested that the early recovery as well as the initial decline in the knee joint function could depend on the degree of muscle damage. Delayed decrease in initial stiffness (2 h – 2 days) was negatively related to the corresponding changes in the knee joint angle at touch down in DJ (P < 0.001). These interactions would imply that the decrease in the stiffness regulation and the modulation of the prelanding motor control might be attributable to secondary muscle damage during 2 days after the SSC exercise. Therefore, it may be suggested that the changes in the DJ performance after the exhausting SSC exercise accompany the progress of muscle damage observed by the corresponding increase in serum CK concentration and the corresponding deterioration of stiffness regulation and motor control in DJ.