Healthy
Conditions
Keywords
Shear Wave Elastography, Blood Flow Restriction, Warm-up, Performance
Brief summary
Sixty athletes will be randomized in two groups; (1) an experimental group and (2) a control group. Both groups will undergo the following procedure: Moment 1: 1. Baseline testing: countermovement jump, 25m sprint and strength assessment of the Hamstrings and Quadriceps muscle. 2. Short warm-up (approximately 4 minutes), which will be completed with blood flow restriction cuffs (experimental group) or without (control group) 3. Post testing: same tests as performed in baseline. Moment 2: 1. Baseline testing: stiffness measurements of the Biceps Femoris Long Head via Shear Wave Elastography. 2. Short warm-up (approximately 4 minutes), which will be completed with blood flow restriction cuffs (experimental group) or without (control group) 3. Post testing: same tests as performed in baseline. Both moments of testing as well as the order in which the performance tests take place are randomized.
Detailed description
Traditionally, athletes perform a warm-up program before participating in sport activities, due to its assumed beneficial effect on performance and injury prevention. However, within team sports, substitutes usually do not perform the comprehensive pre-match warm-up. In many cases, those substitute players get a very short period of time, during the game, to prepare themselves for coming on to the pitch where they immediately have to perform at a very high-intensity. Hence, this could lead to a poorer performance and a greater injury risk for those substitute players, as they did not get a decent warm-up. Therefore, new techniques are needed in order to prepare the substitute athletes optimally in a very short period of time (often within a few minutes). Consequently, the aim of this study is to investigate whether the incorporation of Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) within a warm-up routine could be of additional value. Both performance parameters and muscle stiffness will be evaluated. As Hamstring strain Injuries (HSI) are common within sports encompassing high-speed running, this muscle group will be investigated on muscle stiffness as a representation of the interventional effect on muscle stiffness. Athletes will be randomized in two groups of 30 participants (anticipated); (1) an experimental group and (2) a control group. Both groups will perform baseline testing (5x Countermovement Jump, 25m Sprint and Muscle Strength of hamstrings and Quadriceps), and a short warm-up program, followed by repeating the same tests as executed in baseline. The experimental group will receive Blood Flow Restriction within the warm-up routine, whereas the control group will do the same warm up program but without BFR. On a separate occasion, the same athletes will perform the same warm-up routine with a Shear Wave Elastographic assessment of the Biceps Femoris Long Head before and after (immediately after, after 5 minutes and once more after 10 minutes) the warm-up.
Interventions
DEVICEWarm-up + Blood Flow Restriction cuff (smart-cuff pro device, acting as pressurized tourniquet)
Blood Flow Restriction
OTHERWarm-up
Warm-up without any special intervention (no Blood Flow Restriction)
Sponsors
University Ghent
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Free of pain at the moment of testing * Adult (18+) * Athletes (competitive team sport)
Exclusion criteria
* History of a hamstring strain injury * History of cardiovascular problems * Recent (\<1 year) trauma or surgery of the lower extremity * Reduced functioning or pain in the lower extremity. * Not being able to perform physical activities, for whatever (medical) reason.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in muscle stiffness | (1) Before the warm-up routine, (2) immediately after the warm-up routine, (3) 5 minutes after the warm-up routine, and (4) 10 minutes after the warm-up routine | The stiffness of the Biceps Femoris Long Head of the dominant leg will be assessed via a Shear Wave Elastography Device (Mach 30, SuperSonic Imagine), before and immediately after the warm-up routine. The muscle stiffness will be expressed in Kilopascals (kPa). |
| Change in jump height | (1) Before the warm-up routine and (2) immediately after the warm-up routine | The jump height will be assessed during 5 consecutive countermovement jumps. This will be assessed with an OptoJump device. The highest jump will be taken into account. The jump height will be expressed in cm. |
| Change in muscle strength | (1) Before the warm-up routine and (2) immediately after the warm-up routine | Muscle strength of the Hamstrings and Quadriceps muscles. Measured via a Hand Held Dynamometer. Strength will be expressed in Newton (N). |
| Change in sprinting speed | (1) Before the warm-up routine and (2) immediately after the warm-up routine | Sprinting speed will be assessed at 5m, 10m and 25m. This via the use of timing gates. This outcome measure will be expressed in seconds (s). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| level of readiness | Immediately after the warm-up | Participants will be asked after the warm-up (with or without BFR) how well they feel prepared to substitute into the game on a scale from 0-100; being zero = not ready at all, 100 = totally ready |
| Change in heart rate | (1) Right before the warm up, (2) after one minute, (3) after two minutes, (4) after 3 minutes, (5) at the end of the warm up | This parameter will be captured to track the cardiovascular answer of the body during the warm-up by using a polar watch and elastic strap with a monitor around the waist. |
Countries
Belgium
Outcome results
None listed