ORIGINAL ARTICLE：本校公共事務中心 (2022.09.15)
This report was provided by the research team of Professor Chen Chung-Ching, Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences.
(English Version Powered by ChatGPT, Edited by Serena H.)
Riding scooters is one of the most convenient and economical means of transportation for most people in Taiwan. However, every year, traffic accidents from scooter riding cause severe injuries or fractures to one side of the body. This often results in the need for immobilization and rest, which is a common occurrence. Additionally, during routine training or competition, athletes may also suffer serious injuries or fractures to one side of their body. However, when one side of the body is immobilized for a period of time, it often leads to deterioration of bone and muscle function (e.g., strength loss, muscle atrophy). Therefore, this study aims to develop effective training methods to prevent muscle function decline.
In this case, this study compares five weeks of progressive (10–100% intensity) training of the unilateral elbow flexor muscles using eccentric and concentric resistance exercises, to assess their effects on improving muscle strength, preventing muscle atrophy, and offering protective benefits against muscle damage in the same muscle group on the opposite (untrained) side. The results showed that the eccentric resistance training group achieved a strength gain of +19% in the trained muscles and +11% in the untrained side, which was significantly better than the concentric resistance training group, which showed +10% in the trained and +5% in the untrained muscles. The eccentric training group’s trained muscles exhibited a hypertrophy (growth) of +3%, also clearly better than the concentric training group (+2%). After eccentric training, switching to have the untrained muscles perform one bout of maximal eccentric exercise showed a protective effect against muscle damage of 58%, which was significantly better than the concentric training group’s 13%. These results indicate that the cross-education effect produced by eccentric resistance training not only clearly surpasses that of concentric training, but it also provides excellent protective effects against sports-related injuries after progressive eccentric training.
In conclusion, the findings suggest that for individuals whose limbs are immobilized due to accidents or sports injuries, early initiation of eccentric resistance training on the uninjured side can effectively prevent functional decline in the injured-side muscles. Thus, this has strong potential for rehabilitation and sports recovery.
This study was published in the top international journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, and was featured in the Editor-in-Chief’s column in February 2020. Moreover, the progressive-intensity eccentric training prescription developed from this study has attracted attention and endorsement from international media.
ORIGINAL LINK：https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000002155
SOURCE：研究發展處研究亮點
作者資訊 | Author Information
陳忠慶 研究講座教授
Professor Chung-Ching Chen
Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, NTNU
Expertise: Eccentric training, cross-education training, repeated training effects, exercise fatigue, physical fitness, and athletic performance.