Effects of Muscle Cooling on Motor Unit Firing of the Quadriceps

NCT07381920 · Status: SUSPENDED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 24

Last updated 2026-08-21

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The overall objective of this pilot study is to establish the feasibility and methodological validity of using high-density surface electromyography to characterize motor unit behavior of the quadriceps under thermoneutral and locally cooled conditions, and to generate preliminary data to inform the design of a larger, hypothesis-driven study.

Conditions

  • Healthy

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Cryotherapy

For the cold condition, an Aircast Thigh Pad (Aircast), connected to the Cryo Cuff IC cooler (DJO Global, Vista, California, USA) will be applied to the dominant thigh. The system circulates ice water maintained at approximately 10-15°C with intermittent compression. Cooling duration will be individualized based on mid-thigh skinfold thickness, consistent with published recommendations that account for the effect of subcutaneous tissue on intramuscular cooling9. Participants with a mid-thigh skinfold thickness of 0-10 mm will receive 10 minutes of cooling; those with a skinfold thickness of 11-20 mm will receive 25 minutes of cooling; those with a skinfold thickness of 21-30 mm will receive 40 minutes of cooling; and those with a skinfold thickness of 31-40 mm will receive 60 minutes of cooling. Participants will remain seated for the duration of the cooling treatment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Wake Forest University

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
35 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-01-20
Primary Completion
2027-05-31
Completion
2027-05-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07381920 on ClinicalTrials.gov