Effects of Soft Tissue Treatment vs Mechanisms Explanation to Treat Delayed Onset Muscles Soreness Among Sport Climbers

University of Turin

Status: Completed

Conditions: Muscle Strength; Central Nervous System Sensitization; Muscle Soreness; Peripheral Nervous System Disorders

Treatments: Other: Neurodynamic treatment; Other: Control Group; Other: Mechaninsms explanation; Other: Soft tissue treatment

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04255212

437038-15102019

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of the present research is to define the effects of short manual treatment of soft tissues compared to mechanisms explaining in Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) among sport climbers and to address the mechanisms of peripheral and central sensitization involved in DOMS phenomena.

Full description

Sport climbing is a growing success sport that will be debuting as an official discipline in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics game. They are used during competitions.

To practice this discipline, both dexterity in movement and extreme physical strength are needed to climb the sloping and vertical walls that are used during competitions.

The appearance of muscle pain induced by an unusual and strenuous physical activity (DOMS) is an extremely common factor in all sports activities that involves a maximum and repeated muscular effort. In the sport climbing practice this physiological phenomenon is common and occurs both in those who practice at as professional and amateur level. Numerous studies have shown that muscle pain is induced by physical activity and independent of damage to muscle fibers and classic inflammation of tissues. The phenomenon of DOMS is accompanied by hyperalgesia and allodynia during muscle contraction, these are conditions of irritation of the peripheral nervous system (SNP) and central nervous system (CNS), but today no evidence of such sensitization phenomena of the SNP and SNC has been provided. The presence of muscle pain is one of the main causes of impossibility to practice sports not only for those who practice sport climbing at a professional level, but for most amateur sportsmen. Thanks to the tools validated in the last decade, it is possible to study the involvement and awareness responses of the SNP and SNC with reliable and non-invasive techniques in the phenomenon of DOMS. Understanding the mechanisms underlying the appearance of the DOMS is today a primary priority for sports practice and for physical training for muscular effort both as a professional and amateur level.

Presence of peripheral and central sensitization in DOMS will be assessed and a three arm randomized controlled double blind multicentric study will be performed to assess the effects of treatment on peripheral tissues compared to pain mechanisms explanation. Healthy participants of both sexes will be assessed before DOMS, at 48 hours (the peak phase of symptoms) before and after treatment and at 96 hours when symptoms usually are in remission.

Enrollment: 120 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 70 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Being explained all the associated risks and benefits of the research
• Sign the written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Significant neck or upper limbs pain (with Numeric Pain Rating Scale [NPRS] greater than 3/10)
• Pregnancy
• Recent neck or arm surgery or significant trauma in the preceding 3 months
• Cancer or inflammatory disorders,
• Spinal cord or cauda equina signs
• Widespread neurological disorders affecting the tone of upper limbs and neck muscles
• Underlying diseases, such as diabetes mellitus.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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120 participants in 4 patient groups, including a placebo group

Soft tissue treatment

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be treated with 5 minutes of deep tissue manual flossing on the proximal and medial aspect of the forearm of each side. Direction of the gentle repeated manual compressions and shifts will be proximal to distal or vicerversa depending on the symptom reduction reported by the participants. Subjects will be instructed to report immediately if the manual treatment starts to induce an increase in symptoms.

Treatment:

Other: Soft tissue treatment

Mechaninsms explanation

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

Participants will be instructed with a 10 minute lesson on mechanisms hypothesized to generate Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. To trigger the most the bottom down pain modulation given by the placebo effect lesson will be concluded stressing the fact that DOMS have a good prognosis and that in a short amount of time they will be pain free and also that no drugs are effective to reduce pain intensity in DOMS condition suggesting them to stay physically active.

Treatment:

Other: Mechaninsms explanation

Control group

Other group

Description:

Participants will be asked to wait 10 minutes and to relax until the tests will be performed again.

Treatment:

Other: Control Group

Neurodynamic treatment

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will be asked to lay supine on a medical table and keep their arms relaxed. 30 repetitions of gentle upper limb nerves mobilization, performed through a combination of neck and arm physiological movements, will be administered with cycles of tensions and relaxation of 1/5 seconds for 3 minutes in total for each arm. Subjects will be instructed to report immediately if the manual treatment starts to induce an increase in symptoms

Treatment:

Other: Neurodynamic treatment