Hu Linghui, Wei Zhen, Wang Xiaolei, Wu Wei
School of Exercise and Health, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.
Department of Pain Management, Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Brain Behav. 2024 Jun;14(6):e3575. doi: 10.1002/brb3.3575.
Acupuncture as a traditional Chinese medicine therapy relies on unique theories to alleviate fatigue. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on exercise-induced fatigue utilizing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
A total of 20 participants with regular exercise habits were recruited for this study. All participants were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture or sham acupuncture intervention for exercise-induced fatigue. TMS and a heart rate monitor were used to measure the amplitude and latency of motor evoked potential (MEP) as well as heart rate every 5 min over a 30-min period. The blood lactic acid (BLA) levels were measured using Lactate Scout+ at baseline, 0 min, and 30 min after fatigue. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance was utilized to compare the differences between the effects of acupuncture method and time. Bonferroni post hoc tests were conducted to compare specific differences. Statistical significance was set at p < .05.
Interaction effect was observed between acupuncture method and time effect in terms of amplitude (F = 5.40, p < .001, η = 0.12) and latency (F = 3.78, p = .008, η = .09) of MEP. The application of acupuncture can promote the recovery of heart rate especially at 30 min (p < .05), but which seem insufficient to generate significant difference in BLA (F = 0.067, p = .797, η = 0.002).
Acupuncture can promote the increase of MEP amplitude, shorten MEP latency, and restore heart rate. Preliminary findings provide novel insights for individuals with exercise habits to alleviate fatigue and enhance sports performance.
针灸作为一种中医疗法，依靠独特的理论来缓解疲劳。本研究旨在利用经颅磁刺激（TMS）评估针灸对运动性疲劳的影响。
本研究共招募了20名有规律运动习惯的参与者。所有参与者被随机分配接受针灸或假针灸干预以治疗运动性疲劳。在30分钟内，每隔5分钟使用TMS和心率监测仪测量运动诱发电位（MEP）的波幅和潜伏期以及心率。在疲劳前基线、0分钟和30分钟时使用乳酸分析仪+测量血乳酸（BLA）水平。采用双向重复测量方差分析比较针灸方法和时间效应之间的差异。进行Bonferroni事后检验以比较具体差异。设定统计学显著性为p < 0.05。
在MEP的波幅（F = 5.40，p < 0.001，η = 0.12）和潜伏期（F = 3.78，p = 0.008，η = 0.09）方面，观察到针灸方法和时间效应之间存在交互作用。针灸的应用可以促进心率恢复，尤其是在30分钟时（p < 0.05），但似乎不足以在BLA方面产生显著差异（F = 0.067，p = 0.797，η = 0.002）。
针灸可以促进MEP波幅增加，缩短MEP潜伏期，并恢复心率。初步研究结果为有运动习惯的个体缓解疲劳和提高运动表现提供了新的见解。
