Blaming Creatine for Injuries?

Title: Creatine Supplementation and Its Effect on Musculotendinous Stiffness and Performance.

Researchers: MARK L. WATSFORD, ARON J. MURPHY, and WARWICK L. SPINKS, ANDREW D. WALSHE*

Institution: Human Movement Department, School of Leisure, Sport, and Tourism, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia 2070

Reference: The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: (2003) Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 26Ð33.

Summary: Anecdotal reports suggesting that creatine (Cr) supplementation may cause side effects, such as an increased incidence of muscle strains or tears, require scientific examination. In this study, it was hypothesized that the rapid fluid retention and lean tissue accretion evident after Cr supplementation may cause an increase in musculotendinous stiffness.

Methods: Twenty men were randomly allocated to a control or an experimental group and were examined for musculotendinous stiffness of the triceps surae and for numerous performance indices before and after Cr ingestion.

Results: The Cr group achieved a significant increase in body mass (79.7 ± 10.8 kg vs. 80.9 ± 10.7 kg), counter movement jump height (40.2 ± 4.8 cm vs. 42.7 ± 5.9 cm), and 20-cm drop jump height (32.3 ± 3.3 cm vs. 35.1 ± 4.8 cm) after supplementation. No increase was found for musculotendinous stiffness at any assessment load. There were no significant changes in any variables within the control group.

Conclusion: These findings have both performance- and injury-related implications. Primarily, anecdotal evidence suggesting that Cr supplementation causes muscular strain injuries is not supported by this study. In addition, the increase in jump performance is indicative of performance enhancement in activities requiring maximal power output.

Discussion: Probably the most common misconception I hear from coaches, parents, and even uninformed athletes, is that creatine causes injuries. Before gently debunking their concerns I ask why they think creatine would cause injuries. Nine out of ten times the answer is dehydration. Dehydration? What?! Ok, ok, rather than get sarcastic I'll simply explain that the osmotic effect of creatine doesn't affect your body's hydration state. On the contrary, creatine supplementation increases total body water. (1,2)

Another injury related misconception about creatine is that it causes cramps. Recent research indicates that in fact, creatine may produce the opposite affect by increasing the muscle's ability to relax. (3,4) To further corroborate this, recent research found that creatine supplementation actually decreased the incidence of muscle cramping in haemodialysis patients. (5) Muscle cramping is a common and frustrating complication of haemodialysis treatment.

This study is only one more in a growing line of research done to explore and confirm the safety of creatine supplementation. Nevertheless, as with any supplement, there will be uninformed skepticism, and as long as there is a lack of information or worse, misinformation, we will continue to share research to establish the truth for the benefit of all, whether you chose to use supplements or not.

Reference: http://www.hypertrophy-specific.com/HSreport/iss07