Clinical trial NCT02899650: Rates of Recovery From Strenuous Exercise in Physically Active Older Adults
Official title: Rates of Recovery From Strenuous Exercise in Physically Active Older Adults
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: TERMINATED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Muscles
Keywords: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Eccentric exercise
Masters athlete
Lead sponsor: University of Texas at Austin
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2016-09-14
Enrollment: 60
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 80
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: The purpose of this study to determine if older adults who are healthy and physically active (i.e., Masters athletes) demonstrate slower rates of recovery from unaccustomed strenuous exercise of downhill running than younger peers.

Detailed description: There is a well-conceived notion that the recovery from strenuous exercise gets slower as individuals get older in age. Studies using animal models have demonstrated that stretching of electrically-activated skeletal muscle to mimic eccentric muscle contractions results in a greater decline and slower recovery in muscular force in old mice than in young mice. Similarly, in human studies using sedentary adults, age has been associated with a slower rate of recovery from a series of eccentric contractions. However, the process of aging is often confounded by coexisting diseases and gradual sedentary lifestyles that progress with advancing aging. Could older adults who are apparently healthy and habitually exercising demonstrate slower rates of recovery from strenuous exercise? In a small-scale study, recreationally-active middle-aged adults did not display a slower recovery from unaccustomed eccentric exercise than young adults. Masters athletes are an effective experimental model to address this question as extrinsic factors (e.g., deconditioning, chronic degenerative diseases) that often confound the intrinsic aging process can be minimized in this population. As no study has been conducted in Masters athletes, it is unknown if Masters athletes would experience slower rates of recovery similar to their sedentary peers.

With this information as background, the general aim of the proposed study is to determine if older adults who are healthy and physically active demonstrate slower rates of recovery from unaccustomed strenuous exercise of downhill running than younger peers. In an attempt to properly determine the influence of aging and regular physical activity, 4 groups of apparently healthy adults, including young sedentary, young trained, older sedentary, and older trained adults, will be studied.

A total of 60 apparently healthy men and women will serve as subjects. Half will be young \[18-40-year-old (n=30)\] and the other half older \[50-80-year-old (n=30)\]. After the screening and familiarization, investigators will ask participants to visit the laboratory four times (four consecutive days) to perform downhill running and to test physiological measurements (muscular strength, pain scale, range of motion, arterial stiffness and blood pressure and blood creatinine and myoglobin concentrations).

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Sedentary (exercise \< 1 time/week) or well-trained individuals (exercise ≧ 2 times/week)
* Ages 18-39 and 50-80 years
* Individuals who can safely exercise

Exclusion Criteria:

* Individuals who reports "Symptoms or Signs Suggestive of Disease" on the Health Research Questionnaire (heart and respiratory problems, dizziness and ankle edema).
* Individuals who report substance abuse within the last 6 months (elicit drugs, alcohol)
* Smokers

Primary outcomes:
measure: Rate of Force Development
timeFrame: After the downhill running protocol, various markers of muscle damage and muscular strength were obtained 24 hours post (the third visit), 48 hours post (the forth visit) and 72 hours post (the fifth visit).
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Pain Scale
timeFrame: After the downhill running protocol, muscle damage pain scale was measured 24 hours post (the third visit), 48 hours post (the forth visit) and 72 hours post (the fifth visit).
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Austin
country: United States
facility: Cardiovascular Aging Research Lab at UT Austin
state: Texas
Study officials:
References:
citation: Lavender AP, Nosaka K. Changes in markers of muscle damage of middle-aged and young men following eccentric exercise of the elbow flexors. J Sci Med Sport. 2008 Apr;11(2):124-31. doi: 10.1016/j.jsams.2006.11.004. Epub 2007 Mar 9.
citation: Dedrick ME, Clarkson PM. The effects of eccentric exercise on motor performance in young and older women. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol. 1990;60(3):183-6. doi: 10.1007/BF00839156.
citation: Brooks SV, Faulkner JA. Contraction-induced injury: recovery of skeletal muscles in young and old mice. Am J Physiol. 1990 Mar;258(3 Pt 1):C436-42. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.1990.258.3.C436.
citation: Brooks SV, Faulkner JA. The magnitude of the initial injury induced by stretches of maximally activated muscle fibres of mice and rats increases in old age. J Physiol. 1996 Dec 1;497 ( Pt 2)(Pt 2):573-80. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1996.sp021790.