Clinical trial NCT06936020: Effects of Peripheral Somatosensory Stimulation Via Mechanical Pressure on Lower Limb Muscle Strength in Healthy Subjects.
Official title: Effects of Peripheral Somatosensory Stimulation Via Mechanical Pressure on Lower Limb Muscle Strength in Healthy Subjects.
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Healthy Volunteers
Lead sponsor: Facultat de ciencies de la Salut Universitat Ramon Llull
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-04-20
Enrollment: 36
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 80
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Intervention model description: The design of this study is a randomized crossover clinical trial. All participants (n=36) will randomly receive both the Active and Sham proprioceptive stimulation.
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The proprioceptive system and strength are closely related within the sensorimotor system: proprioception enables effective and coordinated muscle activation (including intramuscular and intermuscular coordination or synergistic abilities), which is essential for maintaining the functional stability of joints and preventing injuries-in short, for controlling motor patterns. This principle provides a window through which changes in strength can be observed via peripheral proprioceptive stimulation that activates the muscular system with the goal of increasing recruitment. This justifies the implementation of proprioceptive input in approaches aimed at motor learning.

Detailed description: Objective: To determine whether the application of a peripheral proprioceptive stimulus to the neuromuscular motor points of the quadriceps increases strength and neuromuscular activation during the squat movement in the lower limbs of healthy, untrained subjects.

Methods: The design of this study is a randomized crossover clinical trial. All participants (n=36) will randomly receive both the Active and Sham proprioceptive stimulation.The proprioceptive stimulus will consist of intermittent mechanical pressure on the skin, localized at the neuromuscular motor points of the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, and vastus medialis of the quadriceps. The tissue subjected to precise pressure in these highly innervated neuromuscular zones promotes the stimulation of kinesthetic cortical sensitivity. The outcome variable will be the assessment of Maximum Strength (MS) generated by the participant during the squat movement, from a 90º knee flexion position to full extension. At the moment of peak force, the mean velocity (MV) of the concentric phase of the movement and the maximum load the participant can move will be evaluated. The intervention, assessment, and recruitment will take place at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Blanquerna - Ramon Llull University

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion criteria :

* State of health with no history of neuromuscular injuries
* Without surgical interventions, or lower limb trauma in the last six months
* No associated cardiovascular disease
* No associated severe COPD.
* AllParticipants are considered untrained if they do not engage in any specific vigorous lower-limb strength training or regularly perform physical exercise or sports activities.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Maximum Strength (MS)
timeFrame: estimated time of movement and data collection of 20 minutes
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
measure: electric neuromuscular activation
timeFrame: estimated time of movement and data collection of 20 minutes
Locations:
city: Barcelona
country: Spain
facility: Pedro Victor López Plaza
Study officials:
References: