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Low Level Laser Therapy in Muscle Fatigue and Muscle Recovery

Low Level Laser Therapy in Muscle Fatigue and Muscle Recovery After Exercise: What is the Ideal Dose?

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT01844271
Acronym
LLLT
Enrollment
28
Registered
2013-05-01
Start date
2013-05-31
Completion date
2013-12-31
Last updated
2014-12-08

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Muscle; Fatigue, Heart, Skeletal Muscle Recovery

Keywords

LLLT, muscle fatigue and recovery, phototherapy parameter

Brief summary

Muscle fatigue and muscle recovery after exercise are recent areas of research involving Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) and many factors remain unknown, such as optimal doses, power and application parameters, mechanisms of action, effects on long-term exercise and the long-term effects on skeletal muscle recovery. The present research project aims to assess the effects of long-term recovery of LLLT in skeletal muscle after exercise and identify the optimal dose application of LLLT. After defining the best dose of application, we recruited two groups which will be irradiated with different power, 100mW and 400mW in order to seek the optimal parameter of low level laser therapy in performance. The investigators believed that the Low Level Laser Therapy can delay the physiological process of muscle fatigue, reduce injury or skeletal muscle microdamage arising from physical effort and accelerate muscle recovery after exercise.

Detailed description

To achieve the proposed objectives it was performed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial, with voluntary participation of high-level soccer athletes. Participants received an application of low level laser prior to execution of a strenuous exercise. It was used a laser with a cluster of 5 diodes (810 nm, 200 mW each diode) with different doses (placebo, 2J, 6J, 10J) and power of 200mW. In a second step, with the optimal dose already defined, this was used to be applied with different powers in two experimental groups, 100mW and 400mW. The investigators analysed parameters related to volunteers exercise performance (torque peak / maximum voluntary contraction), delayed onset muscle soreness, and biochemical markers of muscle damage (CK and LDH), inflammation (interleukin 1 and 6, alpha tumoral necrosis factor) and oxidative stress (TBARS, CAT, SOD and carbonylated proteins). The analysis was performed before exercise protocols, after 1 minute, and 1, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after the end of exercise protocol in both parts of the study.

Interventions

DEVICELow Level Laser (LLL)

Comparison of different dosages of a Low Level Laser applied in six different locations of the knee extensor muscles of the lower limb non-dominant before a strenuous exercise. We performed stretching and warming up of the muscles involved, assessment of muscle pain, withdrawal of blood sample, test muscle function (MVC), application of dose of low level laser designated for each volunteer (0, 2, 6 or 10), performing eccentric contractions protocol in isokinetic dynamometer . After the protocol we evaluated muscle function, the DOMS, and blood analyzes in 1 minute, 1 hour, 24 hours, 48 hours 72 hours and 96 hours. In a second stage, the optimal dose defined by the first part of the study will be tested in two different powers, 100 and 400mW. The study was repeated in two experimental groups using the optimal dose established and the powers of 100 and 400mW that was randomly distributed in groups.

Sponsors

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
CollaboratorOTHER_GOV
University of Nove de Julho
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* professional soccer players aged between 18 and 35 years old; * not presenting historical musculoskeletal injury in regions of the hip and knee in the 2 months preceding the study; * not making use of pharmacological agents and/or nutritional supplements; * participating with minimum frequency of 80% of the training team

Exclusion criteria

* athletes who experience musculoskeletal injury during the study; * athletes who for whatever reason have their training routine changed with respect to the rest of the team during the course of study.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Exercise performance (MVC and peak torque)Maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was performed before the exercise protocol and repeted 1 minute, 1 hour, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after the eccentric contraction protocol. The peak torque was performed after 3 minutes of LLLT application.The investigators used an isokinetic dynamometer to assess muscle function and the execution of the exercise protocol, because this tool is currently recognized as the most reliable, reliability and reproducibility for measuring the performance musculoskeletal. The maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was performed before the exercise protocol and repeated 1 minute, 1 hour, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after the eccentric contraction protocol. The peak torque was measured after evaluation of muscular pain, blood tests, stretching and warming, MVC and application of a predetermined dose of low level therapy (LLLT). It was done after 3 minutes of LLLT application through execution of a eccentric contraction of 5 series of 15 repetitions. After the execution of the exercise protocol it was repeated the collection of blood samples, measuring DOMS and muscle function test (MVC) in 1 minute, 1 hour, 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours and 96 hours from the protocol.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Blood tests (composite measures)Analysis of biochemical markers of muscle damage, inflammation and oxidative stress before exercise protocols, after 1 minute, and 1, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after the end of exercise protocol.Biochemical markers of muscle damage (CK and LDH), inflammation (IL-1, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-alpha) and oxidative stress (TBARS, CAT, SOD and carbonylated proteins). The analysis were performed before exercise protocols, after 1 minute, and 1, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after the end of exercise protocol.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)The analysis were performed before exercise protocols, after 1 minute, and 1, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after the end of exercise protocol.Assessed through an analog algometer always by the same investigator.

Countries

Brazil

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 21, 2026