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

Summary

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.

Conditions

• Muscle Soreness
• Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
• Athletic Injuries

Interventions

DEVICE

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT)

Application of acoustic pulses to the gastrocnemius muscle to modulate tissue mechanotransduction and improve local microcirculation.

DEVICE

Massage Gun

Mechanical vibration applied to the calf muscles to promote myofascial release and neuromuscular recovery through high-frequency percussion.

DEVICE

TECAR Therapy

Application of high-frequency electromagnetic energy (diathermy) to the lower limb to induce deep endogenous heat and accelerate metabolic waste removal.

OTHER

Manual Massage

Systematic manipulation of soft tissues using manual techniques (effleurage and petrissage) focused on reducing muscle tension and perceived soreness.

DEVICE

cupping

Controlled suction therapy applied to the gastrocnemius to create space between fascial layers and stimulate lymphatic and venous drainage.

DEVICE

Pressotherapy

External pneumatic compression through a sequential inflation system to facilitate venous return and reduce lower limb edema post-effort.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Sierra Varona SL

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

MALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-06-01

Primary Completion

2026-06-15

Completion

2026-08-16