Regional differences in hamstring muscle damage after a marathon

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that marathon running induces lower extremity muscle damage. This study aimed to examine inter-and intramuscular differences in hamstring muscle damage after a marathon using transverse relaxation time (T 2)-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI). 20 healthy collegiate marathon runners (15 males) were recruited for this study. T 2-MRI was performed before (PRE) and at 1 (D1), 3 (D3), and 8 days (D8) after marathon, and the T 2 values of each hamstring muscle at the distal, middle, and proximal sites were calculated. Results indicated that no significant intermuscular differences in T 2 changes were observed and that, regardless of muscle, the T 2 values of the distal and middle sites increased significantly at D1 and D3 and recovered at D8, although those values of the proximal site remained constant. T 2 significantly increased at distal and middle sites of the biceps femoris long head on D1 (p = 0.030 and p = 0.004, respectively) and D3 (p = 0.007 and p = 0.041, respectively), distal biceps femoris short head on D1 (p = 0.036), distal semitendinosus on D1 (p = 0.047) and D3 (p = 0.010), middle semitendinosus on D1 (p = 0.005), and distal and middle sites of the semimembranosus on D1 (p = 0.008 and p = 0.040, respectively) and D3 (p = 0.002 and p = 0.018, respectively). These results suggest that the distal and middle sites of the hamstring muscles are more susceptible to damage induced by running a full marathon. Conditioning that focuses on the distal and middle sites of the hamstring muscles may be more useful in improving recovery strategies after prolonged running.

Acute Effects of Foam Rolling on Hamstrings After Half-Marathon: A Muscle Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

“…For all participants, the mid-point line for the thigh region covered by the scans (from the greater trochanter to the medial condyle of the femur) was first identified and used as the anatomical reference (Higashihara et al, 2020). Four most adjacent slices to the mid-point line (2 above and 2 below) from the T2 sequence and 12 most adjacent slices to the line (6 above and 6 below) from the IVIM sequence were further processed.…”

“…Repeated eccentric contractions associated with running could lead to the accumulation of hamstrings microdamage, which puts hamstrings at risk for strain injury (Fyfe et al, 2013). Interestingly, Higashihara et al (2020) showed that compared to the proximal region, the distal and middle portion of the hamstrings are more vulnerable to marathon-induced injuries. Therefore, post-running recovery methods that are effective in reducing local muscle damage at the middle and distal portion of the hamstrings could be promising remedies to prevent running related hamstrings injuries.…”

“…Specifically, we employed T2 sequence and intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) to assess inflammatory edema and microvascular perfusion respectively. T2 value reflects the level of muscle inflammation and is related to the severity of muscle injury (Maillard et al, 2004), and has been applied to detect muscle changes induced by exercise and monitor the recovery from muscle injury (Maillard et al, 2004;Higashihara et al, 2020;Hooijmans et al, 2020). MRI-IVIM model is a technique sensitive to the diffusion characteristics of water molecules, which can be used to evaluate the microvascular perfusion in human tissues, including the skeletal muscle (Iima and Le Bihan, 2016;Ogura et al, 2020).…”

Relationship between Skin Temperature Variation and Muscle Damage Markers after a Marathon Performed in a Hot Environmental Condition

“…Endurance competition such as marathon running is recognized for having a high physical and physiological demand [1]. Marathon running could lead to muscle damage Life 2021, 11, 725 2 of 11 due to the cumulus of the high volume of concentric-eccentric muscle contractions [2]. Moreover, muscle fibers damage may provoke leakage of the muscle proteins into the bloodstream and later to subsequent complications, including but not limited to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), rhabdomyolysis, and acute kidney injury [2][3][4].…”

“…Marathon running could lead to muscle damage Life 2021, 11, 725 2 of 11 due to the cumulus of the high volume of concentric-eccentric muscle contractions [2]. Moreover, muscle fibers damage may provoke leakage of the muscle proteins into the bloodstream and later to subsequent complications, including but not limited to delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), rhabdomyolysis, and acute kidney injury [2][3][4]. After a marathon, monitoring muscle damage is vital to improve posterior recovery and training schedules and reduce injury risk [5,6].…”