Therapeutic Modalities on Exercise Performance and Post-exercise Recovery of CrossFit® Athletes

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Crossfit® is a training modality that consists in functional movements, constantly varied and executed at high intensity. Both training sessions and competitions involve physically demanding activities, which in addition to being performed at very high intensity also involves the aerobic metabolism pathway. These characteristics led to very high metabolic and muscular stress, as well as decrease in physical performance immediately after competitions and training sessions. The cumulative effects of the metabolic and muscular stress can be a precursor of injuries. Studies using different therapeutic modalities aiming to improve post-exercise recovery are needed in order to tackle this issue. However, to the date there are no studies investigating the effects of different therapeutic modalities in an exercise modality such as Crossfit®. Therefore, the aim of this project is to assess the effects of different therapeutic modalities on performance and muscle recovery of Crossfit® athletes.

Detailed Description
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It will be carried out a randomized, crossover, controlled trial. Volunteers will be allocated to four interventions, and the order of the interventions will be randomized. The outcomes will be obtained at baseline (prior to the Workout of the Day - WOD), and in different timepoints after that. The WOD will be consisted in finishing as quickly as possible a sequence of three exercises (Calories in Assault AirBike®, Hang Squat Clean and Box Jump Over), in a well-known series model for the athletes, without rest. The investigators will analyze: the maximum number of free squats performed in 1 minute; the activity of creatine kinase (CK); the levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6); the ratings of perceived exertion; and the volunteers satisfaction with the interventions. All data will be analyzed both in their absolute values and in relation to their percentage variation from the values obtained in the pre-WOD (baseline) assessments.

Official Title
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Therapeutic Modalities on Exercise Performance and Post-exercise Recovery of CrossFit® Athletes

Conditions
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Muscle Strength

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: PBMT-sMF
* Device: Shock wave
* Device: Pneumatic compression
* Other: Passive recovery


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Crossfit® amateur male athletes Do not present a history of musculoskeletal injury in the regions of the hips, knees and calves in the month preceding the study; Are not using pharmacological agents; Athletes should have been practicing the sport for at least 1 year; Voluntarily commit to participate in all stages of the study. Exclusion Criteria: Present musculoskeletal or joint injuries during data collection.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 35 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Male

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Other: Control<br>Passive recovery for 30 minutes | Other: Passive recovery<br>* Volunteers laid in supine position resting for 30 minutes.<br>|
| Experimental: PBMT-sMF<br>Photobiomodulation therapy combined with static magnetic field, with a total treatment duration lasting for around 30 minutes. | Device: PBMT-sMF<br>* PBMT-sMF applied in the lower limbs with different doses per muscle group.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Shock wave<br>Shock wave therapy applied for 30 minutes. | Device: Shock wave<br>* Shock wave therapy applied in the lower limbs for 30 minutes.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Pneumatic compression<br>Pneumatic compression applied for 30 minutes. | Device: Pneumatic compression<br>* Pneumatic compression applied in the lower limbs for 30 minutes.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in functional capacity | The functional capacity will be assessed through the maximum number of free squat repetitions performed within 1 minute. | 1hour, 24 hours and 48 hours after WOD (workout of the day). | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in the activity of creatine kinase (CK) | The activity of CK will be analyzed from the blood samples collected from the participants through spectrophotometry and using specific reagent kits. | 1 hour, 24 hours and 48 hours after WOD (workout of the day). | 
| Change in the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) | The levels of interleukin-6 will be analyzed from the blood samples collected from the participants through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and using specific reagent kits. | 1 hour, 24 hours and 48 hours after WOD (workout of the day). | 
| Participants' perceived exercise intensity | The perception of exercise intensity will be assessed through a 0-100 Ratings of Perceived Exertion Scale: in this scale lower score, means lower degree of fatigue and higher score, means higher degree of fatigue. | 1 minute after WOD (workout of the day), 1 minute post-treatment/intervention, 1 hour, 24 hours and 48 hours after WOD. | 
| Participants' satisfaction regarding the interventions | The participants satisfaction regarding the interventions will be assessed through the LIKERT scale | 48 hours after WOD (workout of the day). |