Effects of Passive Recovery Methods After High-Intensity Cycling Exercise

Official title

Acute Effects of Five Passive Recovery Interventions Following High-Intensity Cycling Exercise: A Randomized Five-Period Crossover Trial

Overview

This randomized crossover trial will investigate the acute effects of five passive recovery interventions following a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol. Participants will complete the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. Immediately after each exercise session, participants will receive one of five recovery interventions: compression therapy, vacuum therapy, kinesiology taping, passive rest, or classical massage. The order of the interventions will be randomized according to a balanced crossover sequence. Each participant will experience all five recovery interventions during the study period. Outcomes related to post-exercise recovery will be assessed across intervention periods.

Detailed description

This study is designed as a randomized, five-period, five-treatment crossover trial. All participants will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. Following each cycling session, participants will receive one passive recovery intervention. The five recovery interventions are compression therapy, vacuum therapy, kinesiology taping, passive rest, and classical massage.

Participants will be randomized to one of five intervention sequences to balance the order of recovery interventions across the study period. Each intervention will be administered once to each participant, and all participants will receive all five interventions. The crossover design allows each participant to serve as his or her own control when comparing the acute effects of the recovery interventions.

Interventions

• Behavioral High-Intensity Cycling Exercise Protocol
  All participants will perform a standardized supervised high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. The cycling protocol will be administered before the assigned recovery intervention in each study period. Exercise intensity, duration, and progression will be standardized across participants and sessions.
• Device Doctor Life MK400L Sequential Intermittent Compression Device
  Compression therapy will be administered using the Doctor Life MK400L 6-chamber sequential intermittent compression device, code MK4L250-BL. The intervention will be applied immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session. The application will be delivered according to a standardized protocol, including participant positioning, treated body region, application duration, and device settings.
• Device Intelect Neo Therapy System with Chattanooga Intelect Neo Vacuum Module
  Vacuum therapy will be administered using the Intelect Neo Therapy System with the Chattanooga Intelect Neo Vacuum Module. The intervention will be applied immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session. The application will be delivered according to a standardized protocol, including participant positioning, treated body region, application duration, vacuum cup placement, and vacuum pressure settings.
• Other Kinesiology Taping
  Kinesiology taping will be applied immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session by a trained physiotherapist. Tape placement, application technique, tension, target region, and wear time will be standardized across participants.
• Other Passive Rest
  Participants will rest quietly after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session for a standardized duration. No manual therapy, mechanical therapy, taping, or additional recovery intervention will be administered during the passive rest condition.
• Other Classical Massage
  Classical massage will be administered immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session by a trained physiotherapist. The treated body region, massage techniques, sequence of techniques, pressure, and application duration will be standardized across participants.

Primary outcome measures

• Total Quality Recovery (TQR) Score [Time frame: At each of the five study sessions: immediately after completion of the 30-minute recovery period and 24 hours after completion of the high-intensity cycling exercise.]

Secondary outcome measures (8)

• Perceived Recovery Status [Time frame: At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise, immediately after completion of the 30-minute recovery period, and 24 hours after completion of the high-intensity cycling exercise.]
• Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) [Time frame: At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise and immediately after completion of the 15-minute high-intensity cycling bout, before the cool-down and recovery intervention.]
• Fatigue Visual Analog Scale (VAS) [Time frame: At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise; immediately after the 15-minute high-intensity cycling bout; immediately after the 30-minute recovery period; and 24 hours after completion of cycling exercise.]
• Muscle Soreness Visual Analog Scale (VAS) [Time frame: At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise; immediately after completion of the standardized cool-down and before initiation of the 30-minute recovery period; immediately after the 30-minute recovery period; and 24 hours after cyclin]
• Vertical Jump Performance [Time frame: At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise; immediately after completion of the standardized cool-down and before initiation of the 30-minute recovery period; immediately after the 30-minute recovery period; and 24 hours after cyclin]
• Sit-and-Reach Test [Time frame: At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise; immediately after completion of the standardized cool-down and before initiation of the 30-minute recovery period; immediately after the 30-minute recovery period; and 24 hours after cyclin]
• Heart Rate [Time frame: At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise; immediately after the 15-minute high-intensity cycling bout; immediately after the 30-minute recovery period; and 24 hours after completion of cycling exercise.]
• Blood Pressure [Time frame: At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise; immediately after the 15-minute high-intensity cycling bout; immediately after the 30-minute recovery period; and 24 hours after completion of cycling exercise.]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy adult volunteers aged 18-30 years
• Able to perform high-intensity cycling exercise
• No musculoskeletal injury within the last six months
• No known cardiovascular, neurological, or metabolic disease
• Not using medication that may affect exercise performance, pain perception, or recovery
• Willing to attend all five study sessions
• Willing to receive all five passive recovery interventions
• Provided written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Presence of acute or chronic musculoskeletal injury
• History of cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory, or metabolic disease
• Contraindication to high-intensity exercise
• Contraindication to compression therapy, vacuum therapy, kinesiology taping, passive rest, or classical massage
• Skin allergy, open wound, dermatological disease, or sensitivity to kinesiology tape
• Use of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxant, or performance-enhancing medication during the study period
• Participation in another exercise or recovery intervention study during the study period
• Failure to attend all study sessions or comply with study procedures

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Crossover

Masking

Single blind

Primary purpose

Treatment

Study locations

Turkey (Türkiye) · 1 center

• Pamukkale University, Faculty of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation — Denizli

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07652398 · E-60116787-020-734897

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗