Effect of short-term arm immobilization on muscle fatigue in team-sport athletes

Short-term immobilization of the arm affects neuromuscular function and changes how easily athletes in team sports get tired during exercise.

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Phase 1

Study type

Interventional

Source

PACTR

Registry ID

PACTR202607531230552

Enrollment

Registered

2026-07-16

Start date

2026-02-15

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-09-14

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

Conditions

Musculoskeletal Diseases Orthopaedics

Interventions

Non dominant arm immobilization using sling and swathe

No immobilization control

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Competitive team-sport athletes Male or female participants Adults aged 18 years or older Right-handed participants Participants involved in handball, basketball, or volleyball Able to provide written informed consent Able to complete maximal voluntary contraction and sustained isometric elbow-flexor exercise testing

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Current upper-limb musculoskeletal injury or pain History of neurological, neuromuscular, cardiovascular, or metabolic disease Previous surgery or major injury affecting the tested upper limb Contraindication to percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation Use of medication or treatment likely to affect neuromuscular function or fatigue responses Inability to comply with the immobilization protocol or study testing procedures Participation in structured physical training during the intervention period

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Exercise-induced change in maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) force of the non-dominant elbow flexors, used as the main indicator of performance fatigability. MVC was measured using an isometric dynamometer before and immediately after a sustained isometric contraction at 50% MVC until exhaustion.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Secondary outcomes included time to task failure during the sustained isometric elbow-flexor contraction at 50% MVC potentiated twitch force of the biceps brachii as an index of peripheral neuromuscular fatigue; voluntary activation as an index of central neuromuscular fatigue; biceps brachii electromyographic activity normalized to maximal M-wave amplitude (RMS/Mmax) maximal M-wave amplitude as an indicator of neuromuscular propagation and membrane excitability and upper-arm muscle and bone area estimated from anthropometric measurements.	—

Measure

Time frame

Secondary outcomes included time to task failure during the sustained isometric elbow-flexor contraction at 50% MVC potentiated twitch force of the biceps brachii as an index of peripheral neuromuscular fatigue; voluntary activation as an index of central neuromuscular fatigue; biceps brachii electromyographic activity normalized to maximal M-wave amplitude (RMS/Mmax) maximal M-wave amplitude as an indicator of neuromuscular propagation and membrane excitability and upper-arm muscle and bone area estimated from anthropometric measurements.

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Countries

Tunisia

Contacts

Public ContactMohamed Amine Bouzid

Associate Professor

bouzid.mohamed-amine@hotmail.fr+21697111765

Outcome results

None listed

Source: PACTR (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Sep 19, 2026