Erdem Atalay¹, Celil Kaçoğlu², Ufuk Şekir³

¹Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Sports Medicine, Eskişehir, Turkey
²Eskisehir Technical University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Department of Coaching Education, Eskisehir, Turkey
³Bursa Uludağ University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Sports Medicine, Bursa, Turkey

Effect of Caffeine Ingestion Before or After Muscle Damage on Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Monten. J. Sports Sci. Med. 2025, 14(1), Ahead of Print | DOI: 10.26773/mjssm.250306

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis based on available randomized controlled trial data to evaluate the effect of pre- or post-exercise caffeine ingestion on pain in individuals with Delayed onset muscle soreness. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases were systematically searched (from inception to December 2023) to identify randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of caffeine on muscle pain before and after exercise damage. Visual analog scale was determined as the outcome measure. To compare the means and calculate the overall effect size “Cohen’s d” coefficient was used. Cochran Q test and I2 statistics were used to evaluate heterogeneity between studies. Results: Eight randomized controlled trials were analyzed as part of the meta-analysis. 5-6 mg/kg caffeine did not significantly reduce visual analog scale at 24 hours when ingested pre-damage ([Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) = -0,022, p=0,920, I2 : 0%]), and VAS at 24, 48, and 72 hours when caffeine was used post-damage ([SMD = -0,568, p=0,135, I2 : 75,89%], [SMD = -0,169, p=0,747, I2 : 78,61%], [SMD = -0,181, p=0,523, I2 : 2,78%], respectively). Conclusion: Consuming 5-6 mg/kg of caffeine before or after muscle damage is not sufficient to reduce delayed onset muscle soreness related muscle pain. The potential effectiveness of 3mg/kg caffeine in preventing or reducing delayed onset muscle soreness pain seems promising. More studies are needed to evaluate caffeine at different doses and periods.

Keywords

caffeine, muscle pain, muscle soreness, visual analog scale, meta-analysis

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