Assessment of heart rate variability and infrared thermography in response to exercise-induced muscle damage

The aim of this study is to investigate the behavior of autonomic nervous activation and infrared thermography (IR) after an eccentric exercise protocol. The sample consisted of ten physically active men (22.5 ± 3.3 years) who had not practiced plyometric training in the 6 months prior to the study. After a period of familiarization and assessment of body composition, the participants underwent a plyometric jumping protocol, including jumps over a 50 cm obstacle and jumps from a 50 cm box, after a 5-min warm-up on the treadmill. Subsequently, the following assessments were performed: assessments included measures of rating perceived fatigue (RPF), delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), IRT and heart rate variability (HRV) performed at 24, 48 and 72 h after exercise. The RPF results showed a significant increase from baseline at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after the muscle damage protocol. For DOMS, significant increases were observed at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h compared to baseline, with values notably higher at 24 h and 48 h than at 72 h. Thermographic assessments of the posterior thigh region showed a higher concentration of pixels in the warm zone at 48 h and 72 h compared to baseline, as well as at 48 h and 72 h compared to 24 h. Regarding HRV, the LF/HF ratio and %LF were elevated at 24 h and 48 h compared to baseline and 72 h, while %HF decreased at 24 h and 48 h relative to baseline. The exercise-induced stress increased warm-zone pixels and elevated sympathetic activity (LF/HF ratio and %LF) up to 48 h post-exercise. This was followed by a shift to increased parasympathetic modulation (higher %HF), indicating recovery. These findings underscore the utility of IRT and HRV in monitoring recovery and optimizing training.

Keywords

Autonomic modulation Exercise recovery Sympathetic activity Parasympathetic modulation Delayed-onset muscle soreness

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10198/34633

Citation

Marques, Wanessa Karoline Brito; Santana, Paulo Vitor Albuquerque; Oliveira, Vinícius Fernandes Ferreira de; Pussieldi, Guilherme de Azambuja; Leite, Luciano Bernardes; Forte, Pedro; Assis, Miller Gomes de; Pimenta, Eduardo Mendonça; Mostarda, Cristiano Teixeira; Costa, Herikson Araújo; Dibai-Filho, Almir Vieira; Junior, Mario Norberto Sevilio de Oliveira; Cabido, Christian Emmanuel Torres; Veneroso, Christiano Eduardo (2024). Assessment of heart rate variability and infrared thermography in response to exercise-induced muscle damage. Sport Sciences for Health. ISSN 1824-7490.