Efficacy of the Most Commonly Used Physiotherapeutic Treatments for Acute Lower Limb Fatigue in Athletes

Summary

Acute fatigue is the inability to generate a required or expected level of force or exercise intensity, whether or not preceded by previous exercise. It is an important risk factor in overuse injuries. It is multifactorial in nature and its mechanisms of formation are imprecise. This type of fatigue can affect both the peripheral level, generating neuromuscular or peripheral fatigue, and the central level, generating central fatigue Objective: To study several physiotherapeutic protocols, analyzing the degree of effectiveness of each one for the recovery of acute fatigue in athletes. Design: Prospective randomized experimental study with 4 groups of physiotherapeutic protocols suitable in acute fatigue recovery. Participants: Presentation of 80 patients treated with 4 therapeutic protocols, equally divided and purposely sexed. The four protocols were divided into: Active recovery (n=20) hydrotherapy (n=20) massage (n=20) and compression (n=20) for 4 weeks of treatment. Intervention: Active recovery protocols (group 1) hydrotherapy protocol (group 2) massage protocol (group 3) and comprehension protocol (group 4).

Keywords: Lower limbs, physiotherapy, athlete, biomechanics, protocol.

Conditions

• Lower Limb Injury

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

State-Trait Anxiety Questionnaire

The scale measures ordinally (1 to 5) the values observed during exposure to anxiety patterns during exercise, such as higher repetitions, greater weight gain or longer exercise duration, as follows: 1. Not at all 2. Little 3. Sometimes 4. Almost always 5. Always

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Rating of Perceived Exertion

The scale measures in ordinal form (1 to 6) the perceived effort during the exercise as follows: 1. No pain 2. Little pain 3. Moderate 4. Severe 5. Very strong 6. Unbearable

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Motor coordination tests

The motor coordination tests are divided into three: 1. Jumping with 2 feet together. 2. Throwing 2 balls from a given distance and space. 3. Proprioception turns

PROCEDURE

Physiotherapeutic intervention

Participants received one session per week, until a total of 20 sessions were completed: Group 1 (n=20) received the muscle compression treatment. Group 2 (n=20) received the manual massage treatment. Group 3 (n=20) received the hydrotherapy treatment and group 4 (n=20) received the active recovery treatment.

OTHER

Data Analysis

The usual descriptive parameters (mean and standard deviation) of the sample were calculated. The distribution and analysis of the other data were performed by means of a nonparametric test (Mann-Whitney U test) comparing the groups. A confidence level of 95% was established, considering a value of p\<0.05 as statistically significant.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Clinica Gema Leon

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Gema León Bravo, Physiotherap · Gema León Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Clinic

• Rafael Arenas Quiles, Physiotherap · Universidad de Córdoba

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

20 Years

Max Age

25 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-11-06

Primary Completion

2022-04-21

Completion

2022-04-30

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations