Percussive Massage Therapy and Muscle Architecture

Karadeniz Technical University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Muscle Architecture

Treatments: Other: Percussive Massage Therapy (PMT)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07367243

2025-69

Details and patient eligibility

About

Percussive massage therapy (PMT) is widely used in therapeutic and athletic settings, but its effects on muscle architecture are not yet fully understood. This study aims to examine the acute effects of PMT applied to the plantar flexor muscles on the muscle architecture of the medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles in healthy adults aged 18 to 30 years. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a PMT group or a control group. Ultrasonographic assessments will be performed before and after the intervention to evaluate muscle thickness, pennation angle, and fascicle length. The findings of this study may help clarify the acute effects of PMT on muscle structure.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Aged between 18 and 30 years

Exclusion criteria

• History of any surgical procedure
• Hospitalization for any reason within the last two years
• Hospital admission for treatment purposes within the last six months
• Use of any medication within the last three months
• History of congenital, neurological, orthopedic, rheumatologic, or cardiopulmonary pathology or anomaly
• Presence of any known serious systemic disease
• Current health-related complaints or symptoms
• Body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m² or higher

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Percussive Massage Therapy (PMT)

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this arm receive percussive massage therapy applied to the plantar flexor muscle groups of both legs. The intervention is administered for 8 minutes under standardized conditions.

Treatment:

Other: Percussive Massage Therapy (PMT)

Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in this arm do not receive any intervention and rest in a prone position.