Efficacy of Microcurrent Therapy After Eccentric Exercise

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Clinical Trial

Official title:

Efficacy of Microcurrent Therapy After Eccentric Exercise

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT02322489
• Other study ID #: Microcurrent
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: December 6, 2014
• Last updated: June 8, 2015
• Start date: January 2015
• Est. completion date: June 2015

Study information

• Verified date: June 2015
• Source: University Hospital of Liege
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Belgium: Ethics Committee
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial 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.

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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 15
• Est. completion date: June 2015
• Est. primary completion date: May 2015
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Male
• Age group: 18 Years to 25 Years

Eligibility

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.

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Outcomes Assessor), Primary Purpose: Prevention

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
• Myalgia

Intervention

Device:
• Microcurrent Therapy
Several electrodes are placed over the muscles involved in the provocative task. The microcurrent therapy is then started and lasts for one hour.
• Sham microcurrent therapy
Several electrodes are placed over the muscles involved in the provocative task. The microcurrent therapy is then started but lasts only for five seconds.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Belgium	Liege University Hospital Center	Liege

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University Hospital of Liege

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Belgium, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Intensity of pain (Visual analogue scale)		baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up, following days until pain disappears	No
Secondary	Flexibility of quadriceps and hamstrings muscles	Flexibility of quadriceps muscle was assessed by means of the Prone Quadriceps Flexibility test.; Flexibility of hamstrings was assessed by means of the Straight Leg Raising (SLR) test	baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up	No
Secondary	Functional test (Unilateral counter-movement jump)	Unilateral counter-movement jump	baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up	No
Secondary	Pain sensibility threshold (Determined by using a dolorimeter)	Determined by using a dolorimeter	baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up	No
Secondary	Isometric strength (Maximal voluntary contraction of knee flexor and extensor muscles)	Maximal voluntary contraction of knee flexor and extensor muscles	baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up	No