An Analytical study on the effectiveness of warm up and cool down activities in reducing muscle soreness among sports person.

INTRODUCTION : Delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) is typically experienced by all individuals regardless of fitness level, and is a normal physiological response to increased exertion and the introduction of unfamiliar physical activities. Delayed onset of muscle soreness is thought to be a result of microscopic muscle fiber tears and is more common after eccentric exercise rather than concentric exercise. Nevertheless it can lead to considerable suffering and handicaps athletes by temporarily impeding performance and preventing training. The pain and discomfort associated with DOMS typically peaks 24–48 hours after an exercise bout, and resolves within 96 hours. Generally, an increased perception of soreness occurs with greater intensity and a higher degree of unfamiliar activities. Other factors that play a role in DOMS are muscle stiffness, contraction velocity, fatigue, and angle of contraction. Due to the sensation of pain and discomfort, which can impair the physical training and performance, prevention and treatment of DOMS is of great concern to coaches, trainers and therapists. AIM OF THE STUDY : The aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of warm-up and cool down activities in reducing muscle soreness in sport persons. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY : • To assess the effects of warm-up and cool down activities in reducing muscle soreness in sport persons. • To compare the effects of warm-up and cool down activities in reducing muscle soreness in sport persons with the control group. DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY : The research design of this study was done by "Experimental study". Inclusion Criteria: • Subjects with age group of 18-25 years. • Male amateur athletes. • Subjects who answered ‘No’ to all questions on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire. Exclusion Criteria: • Subjects with age group of below 18 or above 25 years. • Female amateur athletes. • Subjects who answered ‘Yes’ to any one question on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire. • Subjects with muscle contractors or deformity. Population: Male amateur athletes within the age group of 18-25 years were considered as the population. Thirty subjects satisfying the inclusion criteria were selected from the population by 'Convenient Sampling Technique'. Materials used for the study: Treadmill, VAS Scale, NRS scale, Physical Activity Readiness questionnaire. RESULTS : The present study was designed to examine the effectiveness of warm-up and cool-down activities before and after an exercise, in reducing muscle soreness among sports person. The study was conducted among 30 male amateur athletes aged between 18 to 25 years, divided into experimental (N=15) and control (N=15) groups. Both the experimental and control group were given an unaccustomed eccentric exercise (walking backwards downhill on a treadmill, inclined at 13 degrees, for 30 minutes at 35 steps per minute). The experimental group were made to do warm-up before and cool-down after the exercise. Control group did not receive any warm-up or cool-down regimen. Muscle soreness of all the subjects was measured using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) at 24hr, 48hr and 72hr of completing the exercise. CONCLUSION ; Warm-up immediately prior to and cool-down immediately after an unaccustomed eccentric exercise reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness compared to the group which had no warm-up or cool-down. Athletes can take advantage of this data and incorporate a few minutes of warm-up and cool-down before and after their training session, so that with reduced muscle soreness, they will be able to train and perform better, thereby improving performance.