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Abstract

Background

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a common phenomenon that occurs after exercise training, resulting in pain and reduced muscle performance. Previous basic and animal studies have reported that oral use of Peony and Licorice Decoction (PLD), a traditional Chinese formula with anti-inflammatory and muscle-relaxing properties, may be safe and effective for DOMS. However, there have been no clinical studies, particularly on the topical use of PLD, in this field to date.

Material and Methods

Our study is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. We recruited healthy male athletes to assess the effect of external PLD, whose bioactive compounds were verified via high-performance liquid chromatography, on DOMS. Participants performed high-intensity weight training on bilateral bicep muscles to induce DOMS. PLD or placebo ointments were applied randomly to each arm, and pain intensity was measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at pre- and five-minute post-intervention. After the experiments, the participants were under follow-up for three days.

Results

A total of 30 participants were enrolled in the study. Significant pain relief was observed in the PLD group (36%, p < 0.0001) but not in the placebo group (9%, p = 0.381) after intervention. Moreover, the reduced level of VAS score was significantly lower in the PLD-treated group compared to the placebo-treated group (p < 0.0001). The participants reported no adverse effects within three days after PLD use.

Conclusion

Topical use of PLD is a potential safe and effective treatment for DOMS, marking a stepping stone for future research direction in sports medicine.

Additional Files
Fig 1&2.zip (1883 kB)
Figure 1 and 2

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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