Isometric Exercise for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness

Effects of Isometric Exercise on Recovery Following Experimentally Induced Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether isometric exercise can improve recovery following experimentally induced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in healthy young adults.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does isometric exercise reduce pain associated with delayed onset muscle soreness?
• Does isometric exercise improve pressure pain threshold, knee joint range of motion, muscle strength, and recovery following delayed onset muscle soreness?

Researchers will compare participants performing an isometric exercise program with a control group receiving no intervention to determine whether isometric exercise improves recovery after experimentally induced DOMS.

Participants will:

• Undergo a standardized exercise protocol to induce delayed onset muscle soreness.
• Be randomly assigned to either an isometric exercise group or a control group.
• Complete assessments of pain intensity, pressure pain threshold, knee range of motion, muscle strength, and thigh circumference.
• Be evaluated before exercise, immediately after exercise, and on Days 1, 3, and 5 following DOMS induction.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Isometric Exercise; Other: Sham Exercise

Detailed Description

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common consequence of unaccustomed or high-intensity physical activity, particularly exercises involving eccentric muscle contractions. DOMS is characterized by pain, tenderness, temporary reductions in muscle function, decreased range of motion, and impaired physical performance, typically peaking between 24 and 72 hours after exercise.

Various recovery strategies have been investigated to reduce the symptoms of DOMS; however, evidence regarding the effectiveness of isometric exercise in facilitating recovery remains limited. Previous studies have suggested that isometric muscle contractions may induce analgesic effects and increase pressure pain thresholds in musculoskeletal conditions. Whether these effects can improve recovery following exercise-induced muscle damage and DOMS has not been fully established.

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effects of an isometric exercise program on recovery following experimentally induced DOMS in healthy adults. DOMS was induced using a standardized drop-jump protocol. Participants were randomly assigned to either an isometric exercise group or a control group. Outcome assessments were performed before DOMS induction, immediately after exercise, and during follow-up evaluations on Days 1, 3, and 5.

The findings of this study may contribute to the understanding of the role of isometric exercise as a simple, low-cost, and clinically applicable recovery strategy following exercise-induced muscle soreness.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Maslak
    • Istanbul, Maslak, Turkey (Türkiye), 34398
      • Istanbul Nisantasi University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Active athletes competing in University sports teams.
• Age between 18 and 30 years.
• Participation in organized sports training at least three times per week for the previous six months.
• No lower-extremity pain at the time of enrollment.
• Ability to safely perform the exercise protocol used to induce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
• Willingness to provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of lower-extremity musculoskeletal injury within the previous 6 months.
• Previous lower-extremity surgery.
• Current musculoskeletal pain or injury affecting sports participation.
• Neurological, rheumatological, cardiovascular, or systemic disorders affecting physical performance.
• Use of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, or muscle-relaxant medications during the study period.
• Participation in strenuous eccentric exercise within 72 hours prior to baseline testing.
• Use of recovery interventions (e.g., massage, cryotherapy, compression garments, electrical stimulation) during the study period.
• Inability to complete the exercise protocol or follow-up assessments.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Isometric Exercise Group; Participants in this group underwent a standardized protocol to induce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and subsequently performed a structured quadriceps isometric exercise program during the recovery period.	Other: Isometric Exercise; Participants performed a structured quadriceps isometric exercise program following experimentally induced delayed onset muscle soreness. The exercise protocol was applied according to the study protocol throughout the recovery period.
Sham Comparator: Sham Exercise Group; Participants performed a sham exercise protocol following experimentally induced delayed onset muscle soreness. The sham intervention was designed to mimic the attention and participation associated with the experimental intervention without providing the intended therapeutic effect.	Other: Sham Exercise; Participants performed a sham exercise protocol following experimentally induced delayed onset muscle soreness. The sham intervention was designed to mimic the attention and participation associated with the experimental intervention without providing the intended therapeutic effect.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pressure Pain Threshold	Pressure pain threshold measured using a digital pressure algometer following experimentally induced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).	Baseline, immediately after exercise, Day 1, Day 3, and Day 5 following DOMS induction.
Pain Intensity	Pain intensity assessed using a 10-cm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) following experimentally induced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).	Baseline, immediately after exercise, Day 1, Day 3, and Day 5 following DOMS induction.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Knee Joint Range of Motion	Knee joint range of motion measured using a standard goniometer.	Baseline, immediately after exercise, Day 1, Day 3, and Day 5 following DOMS induction.
Quadriceps Muscle Strength	Quadriceps muscle strength measured using a handheld dynamometer.	Baseline, immediately after exercise, Day 1, Day 3, and Day 5 following DOMS induction.
Thigh Circumference	Thigh circumference measured using a tape measure to assess exercise-induced swelling.	Baseline, immediately after exercise, Day 1, Day 3, and Day 5 following DOMS induction.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Istanbul Nisantasi University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Rio E, Kidgell D, Purdam C, Gaida J, Moseley GL, Pearce AJ, Cook J. Isometric exercise induces analgesia and reduces inhibition in patellar tendinopathy. Br J Sports Med. 2015 Oct;49(19):1277-83. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2014-094386. Epub 2015 May 15.
• Di Lorenzo L, Forte AM, Agosti V, Forte F, Lanciano T, Pirraglia N, D'Avanzo C. Advances in Non-Pharmacological Strategies for DOMS: A Scoping and Critical Review of Recent Evidence. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2025 Nov 20;10(4):452. doi: 10.3390/jfmk10040452.
• de Morais ACL, Machado AS, Pereira MEF, da Silva W, Priego-Quesada JI, Carpes FP. Intensity and volume of physical exercise influence DOMS and skin temperature differently in healthy adults. Sci Rep. 2024 Dec 5;14(1):30282. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-79785-2.
• Rio E, van Ark M, Docking S, Moseley GL, Kidgell D, Gaida JE, van den Akker-Scheek I, Zwerver J, Cook J. Isometric Contractions Are More Analgesic Than Isotonic Contractions for Patellar Tendon Pain: An In-Season Randomized Clinical Trial. Clin J Sport Med. 2017 May;27(3):253-259. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0000000000000364.
• Fleckenstein J, Simon P, Konig M, Vogt L, Banzer W. The pain threshold of high-threshold mechanosensitive receptors subsequent to maximal eccentric exercise is a potential marker in the prediction of DOMS associated impairment. PLoS One. 2017 Oct 6;12(10):e0185463. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0185463. eCollection 2017.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 18, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): July 18, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 30, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 30, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 4, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 30, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pain; Recovery; Isometric Exercise; Pressure Pain Threshold; Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage; Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Pain; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Exercise
• Other Study ID Numbers: OASIsometricDOMS

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified individual participant data underlying the published results may be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author, subject to institutional approval and applicable ethical requirements.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: De-identified individual participant data, study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and analytic code will be available beginning 6 months after publication of the primary study results and ending 5 years after publication.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: De-identified individual participant data and supporting documents will be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request. Requests must include a methodologically sound research proposal and will be reviewed by the study investigators. Data will be provided after approval of the request and completion of an appropriate data-sharing agreement. Access will be limited to data necessary to achieve the approved research objectives.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No