DOMS is typically associated with which type of contraction leading to soreness after unfamiliar exercise?

• A. Isometric contractions
• B. Concentric contractions
• C. Eccentric contractions
• D. All contractions equally cause DOMS

Answer: (D)

DomS after unfamiliar exercise is mainly tied to muscle damage from lengthening under tension. When a muscle lengthens while producing force, as in downhill running or lowering a heavy weight, it experiences more mechanical disruption of the muscle fibers and the surrounding connective tissue than during shortening or static lengthening. This greater microtrauma triggers an inflammatory response, leading to the characteristic soreness that appears 24–72 hours later.

Isometric and concentric contractions can also cause soreness, especially if the activity is new or unusually intense, but they generally produce less muscle fiber disruption than eccentric (lengthening) actions. So the contraction type most strongly associated with DOMS is the eccentric one.