"Recovery Techniques on Pain, Force and Muscle Oxygenation in Athletes: A Crossover Trial"

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Muscle Soreness, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, Athletic Injuries

In brief

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the impact of various passive post-exercise recovery techniques on professional athletes. The main questions it aims to answer are: Do passive recovery modalities significantly improve muscle oxygenation and tissue temperature immediately following high-intensity effort? Which specific technique is most effective in reducing perceived pain, measured by the pressure pain threshold, and restoring muscle strength? Researchers will compare six different therapeutic interventions-Transfer of Energy Capacitive and Resistive therapy, manual massage, intermittent negative pressure therapy, extracorporeal shockwave therapy, percussion therapy, and pneumatic pressotherapy-to determine which provides a superior immediate physiological and functional recovery effect. Participants will: Perform a high-intensity physical effort designed to induce peripheral fatigue. Be randomly assigned to receive one of the six recovery protocols. Undergo objective measurements immediately after the intervention, including near-infrared spectroscopy to assess muscle oxygen saturation, tissue thermography, algometry, and dynamometry.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07387276

Run by

Sierra Varona SL

People needed

20

Starts

2026-06-01

Expected to finish

2026-08-16

Last updated by the study team

2026-04-24

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 35. Sex: male. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Professional or Semi-professional athletes (specifically basketball players or endurance athletes) with a minimum of 2 years of competitive experience.
• Aged between 18 and 35 years.
• Healthy individuals with no current musculoskeletal injuries in the lower limbs.
• Regular training frequency of at least 4-5 sessions per week.
• Signed informed consent to participate in the study and follow the 6-week crossover protocol.
• Commitment to maintain similar nutritional and sleep habits throughout the duration of the study.

You may not qualify if…

• Presence of any acute or chronic injury in the gastrocnemius or Achilles tendon in the last 6 months.
• Contraindications for specific therapies:
• For Shockwave Therapy: Blood clotting disorders or use of anticoagulants.
• For TECAR/Diathermy: Metal implants in the lower limbs or pacemakers.
• For Cupping: Acute skin infections or dermatological hypersensitivity.
• Consumption of performance-enhancing drugs, anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs), or stimulants that could affect muscle oxygenation (SmO2) or pain perception.
• Recent surgery in the lower extremities (within the last year).
• Inability to complete the standardized fatigue protocol or attend all 6 intervention sessions.

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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