Clinical trial NCT02322489: Efficacy of Microcurrent Therapy After Eccentric Exercise
Official title: Efficacy of Microcurrent Therapy After Eccentric Exercise
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Keywords: microcurent
pain
flexibility
Lead sponsor: University of Liege
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2014-12-23
Enrollment: 15
Sex: MALE
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 25
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: 15 participants will be included in the present study. They will attend two groups of three sessions (i.e. sessions 1-2-3 and sessions 4-5-6) spaced by 3 months:

* session 1 and 4 (performed a few days before the experimental session): session for participants to get familiarized with the test battery.
* session 2 and 5: experimental session (the test battery followed by the provocative task, the test battery, the one-hour "treatment" and the test battery again).
* session 3 and 6 (performed 2 days later): the test battery.

The test battery included flexibility, functional, pressure pain threshold tests.

The provocative task was an isokinetic eccentric task for knee flexors and extensors.

The treatment was either a microcurrent therapy or a placebo microcurrent therapy.

Detailed description: Objective:

To study the efficacy of microcurrent to reduce DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) occuring after an eccentric exercise

Methods:

Experimental protocol

Participants will attend two groups of three sessions (i.e. sessions 1-2-3 and sessions 4-5-6) spaced by 3 months:

* session 1 and 4 (performed a few days before the experimental session): session for participants to get familiarized with the test battery.
* session 2 and 5: experimental session: the test battery followed by the provocative task, the test battery, the one-hour "treatment" (real microcurrents at one of the session and placebo microcurrents at the other one) and the test battery again.
* session 3 and 6 (performed 2 days later): the test battery.

Before starting session 2, patients will be randomized into the microcurrent group or the placebo microcurrent group. Three months later, participants will change of group.

The Test Battery: it will be conducted by a blind (to the treatment) investigator. It will include knee flexor and extensor flexibility tests, a functional test (unilateral " counter-movement jump "), a pain to measure pain threshold of thigh muscles and an isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) test of knee flexors and extensors.

The Provocative task: 40 isokinetic eccentric contractions of knee flexors and extensors.

The one-hour Treatment: with the participant lying on an examination table, several electrodes were located over the muscles involved in the provocative task. The microcurrent therapy was then started. It was stopped after 5 seconds in the "Placebo group" and after one hour in the real "Microcurrent group". The microcurrents were delivered by the machine B-E-St®.

Follow-up: in addition to the 48hours follow-up (session 3/6), participants will fill in a pain visual analogue scale each day after the session 2/5.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Asymptomatic subjects

Exclusion Criteria:

* practice of sports \>3h per week
* present pain in the lower limbs
* history of thigh muscle injuries
* recent injury (last 3 months) of the lower limbs
* recent (last 3 months) plyometric exercises or lower limbs strengthening program.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Intensity of pain (Visual analogue scale)
timeFrame: baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up, following days until pain disappears
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Flexibility of quadriceps and hamstrings muscles
timeFrame: baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up
measure: Functional test (Unilateral counter-movement jump)
timeFrame: baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up
measure: Pain sensibility threshold (Determined by using a dolorimeter)
timeFrame: baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up
measure: Isometric strength (Maximal voluntary contraction of knee flexor and extensor muscles)
timeFrame: baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Liege
country: Belgium
facility: Liege University Hospital Center
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Liege
name: Christophe Demoulin, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: