Ho Chin-Shan, Lee Mon-Chien, Chang Chi-Yao, Chen Wen-Chyuan, Huang Wen-Ching
Graduate Institute of Sports Science, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Center for General Education, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Sleep Center, Linkou-Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Chin J Physiol. 2020 Jan-Feb;63(1):35-42. doi: 10.4103/CJP.CJP_33_19.
Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are widely applied and accepted for therapeutic purposes because of their numerous benefits. Negative ion treatment belongs to one of the critical categories defined by the National Center for CAM, with such treatment capable of air purification and ameliorating emotional disorders (e.g., depression and seasonal affective disorder). Negative ions can be produced naturally and also by a material with activated energy. Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) often occurs due to inadequate warm up, high-intensity exercise, overload, and inappropriate posture, especially for high-intensive competition. Few studies have investigated the effects of negative ion treatment on muscular injury in the sports science field. In the current study, we enrolled badminton athletes and induced muscle damage in them through eccentric exercise in the form of a high-intensity squat program. We evaluated the effects of negative ion patches of different intensities at three points (preexercise, postexercise, and recovery) by analyzing physiological indexes (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin [IL]-6, IL-10, creatine kinase [CK], and lactate dehydrogenase [LDH] levels) and performing a functional assessment (a countermovement jump [CMJ] test). We found that a high-intensity negative ion patch could significantly reduce the levels of TNF-α, an injury-associated inflammatory cytokine, and related markers (CK and LDH). In addition, muscular overload-caused fatigue could be also ameliorated, as indicated by the functional CMJ test result, and related muscular characteristics (tone and stiffness) could be effectively improved. Thus, the negative ion treatment could effectively improve physiological adaption and muscular fatigue recovery after EIMD in the current study. The negative ion patch treatment can be further integrated into a taping system to synergistically fulfill exercise-induced damage protection and functional elevation. However, the effects of this treatment require further experimental validation.
补充和替代医学（CAMs）因其诸多益处而被广泛应用于治疗目的并被人们所接受。负离子疗法属于美国国立补充和替代医学中心定义的关键类别之一，这种疗法能够净化空气并改善情绪障碍（如抑郁症和季节性情感障碍）。负离子可以自然产生，也可由具有活化能量的材料产生。运动引起的肌肉损伤（EIMD）通常是由于热身不足、高强度运动、超负荷以及姿势不当所致，尤其是在高强度比赛中。在运动科学领域，很少有研究探讨负离子疗法对肌肉损伤的影响。在本研究中，我们招募了羽毛球运动员，并通过高强度深蹲计划这种离心运动在他们身上诱发肌肉损伤。我们通过分析生理指标（肿瘤坏死因子[TNF]-α、白细胞介素[IL]-6、IL-10、肌酸激酶[CK]和乳酸脱氢酶[LDH]水平）以及进行功能评估（反向运动跳跃[CMJ]测试），在三个时间点（运动前、运动后和恢复阶段）评估了不同强度负离子贴片的效果。我们发现，高强度负离子贴片能够显著降低与损伤相关的炎症细胞因子TNF-α以及相关标志物（CK和LDH）的水平。此外，如功能性CMJ测试结果所示，肌肉超负荷引起的疲劳也能够得到改善，并且相关的肌肉特征（张力和僵硬度）能够得到有效改善。因此，在本研究中，负离子疗法能够有效改善EIMD后的生理适应能力和肌肉疲劳恢复。负离子贴片治疗可以进一步整合到贴扎系统中，以协同实现对运动引起的损伤保护和功能提升。然而，这种治疗方法的效果需要进一步的实验验证。
