Participants performed 6 sets of 10 repetitions of

maximal isokinetic eccentric knee extension (CSMi Humac NORM, Stoughton, Maryland, USA) at 120° × s−1 with 1 min of rest between each set on each day. This protocol has been used previously to induce muscle damage [13]. Participants were seated and secured to the dynamometer chair as described above but the range of motion of the dynamometer was set between 0° (full knee extension) and 90° (knee flexion) for the eccentric knee extension exercise. The participants were instructed to resist with maximal force against the dynamometer arm as it Ipilimumab manufacturer moved their knee from extension to flexion. The dynamometer motor was used to passively bring the leg back up to the starting position click here after each repetition was completed. All participants were verbally encouraged to exert maximal resistance to the dynamometer throughout each session. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). The instrument consists of a 100 mm long line with the words “no pain” on the left hand side and “unbearable pain” on the right hand side of the line. Participants were asked to draw a vertical line on

the scale to rate their current level of pain in their right leg. A pain-rating index was calculated by measuring the distance of the mark from the left hand side of the diagram in millimeters [15]. Pain was assessed before and after each exercise bout as well as 24 h after the final bout with the participants in a standing position. Thigh circumference was measured as an indicator of any edema that may have occurred due to the eccentric exercise intervention. To measure thigh circumference, the halfway distance between the greater trochanter of the femur and the lateral femoral epicondyle on the exercised leg was measured and marked with a horizontal line on each participant using a permanent marker. A measurement of the

circumference of the thigh in centimeters was taken at this horizontal line and recorded in centimeters. The participant remained in a standing position with the thigh muscle relaxed and the feet shoulder width apart while the thigh measurement was taken. Thigh circumference was measured before and after each exercise bout and 24 h after Thymidine kinase the final exercise bout. Range of motion of the knee joint (in degrees) used in the eccentric exercise bouts was assessed with a goniomoter using a protocol previously developed [16]. Briefly, the participant lay prone on the ground with their right leg fully extended. The fulcrum of the goniomoter was placed on the lateral femoral epicondyle of the right leg. The stationary arm of the goniomoter was aligned with the greater trochanter of the femur while the moveable arm was aligned with the lateral fibula. The fully extended knee was considered the starting position of 0°.