Percussive Massage Therapy and Muscle Architecture

Acute Effects of Percussive Massage Therapy Applied to Healthy Individuals on Gastrocnemius Muscle Architecture: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07367243

Enrollment

Registered

2026-01-26

Start date

2025-11-17

Completion date

2026-02-10

Last updated

2026-01-26

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

Conditions

Muscle Architecture

Brief summary

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.

Interventions

OTHERPercussive Massage Therapy (PMT)

Percussive massage therapy is applied to the plantar flexor muscle groups of both legs for 8 minutes using standardized procedures.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 30 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

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

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Muscle Architecture	Immediately before and immediately after the intervention	Changes in gastrocnemius medialis and gastrocnemius lateralis muscle architecture, including muscle thickness, pennation angle, and fascicle length, are assessed using ultrasonography.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Contacts

CONTACTMurat Emirzeoglu, PhD

muratemirzeoglu@ktu.edu.tr+904623774270

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026