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Therapeutic Ultrasound for Muscle Recovery After Muscle Fatigue Exercise
Sponsor: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
Summary
This randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial will evaluate the effects of low-intensity therapeutic ultrasound on muscle recovery after a fatiguing handgrip exercise protocol in healthy adults. Eighty volunteers aged 18 to 45 years will be included and assigned to an intervention group or a placebo group. Participants will perform a handgrip exercise protocol designed to induce muscle fatigue. The intervention group will receive pulsed low-intensity therapeutic ultrasound applied to the wrist flexor and extensor muscles, while the placebo group will undergo the same procedures with the ultrasound intensity set to zero. The main outcome will be pain. Additional outcomes will include muscle strength, perceived exertion, function, range of motion, inflammatory and muscle damage markers, and oxidative stress parameters. Pain will also be assessed 24, 48, and 72 hours after the exercise protocol.
Official title: Effects of Therapeutic Ultrasound on Muscle Recovery After Muscle Fatigue Exercise: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
18 Years - 45 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
30
Start Date
2026-11-01
Completion Date
2028-06-30
Last Updated
2026-10-13
Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Interventions
Pulsed Low-Intensity Therapeutic Ultrasound
Pulsed low-intensity therapeutic ultrasound will be applied using a Sonopulse III device at a frequency of 1 MHz, an intensity of 0.4 W/cm² SATA, and a 20% duty cycle (2 ms on, 8 ms off), resulting in an effective average intensity of 0.08 W/cm² SATA. The intervention will be applied for 5 minutes to the wrist flexor muscle region and 5 minutes to the wrist extensor muscle region. A conductive ultrasound gel will be used.
Placebo Therapeutic Ultrasound
The placebo procedure will be performed using the same positioning, application sites, frequency, waveform, duty cycle, transducer movements, and application time as the active therapeutic ultrasound intervention, but with the device intensity set to zero.
Locations (1)
Physical-Functional Rehabilitation Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Maria
Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil