Neuromuscular Function and Performance in Athletes With or Without Bruxism (CHAINSPORT)

April 21, 2026 updated by: Mainjot Amélie

Is Bruxism Associated With Altered Systemic Neuromuscular Function and Increased Risk of Muscular Injury ?

The aim of this study is to evaluate the associations between bruxism and neuromuscular function, as well as athletic performance, in a population of amateur athletes. Particular attention will be paid to musculoskeletal disorders associated with bruxism, particularly in the shoulder. Participants' history of sports injuries will also be recorded. To control for the effect of potential confounding variables, levels of stress, anxiety, and mood, as well as sleep quality, will be systematically measured using validated questionnaires.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
120

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Belgium
      • Liège, Belgium, 4020
        • University of Liege

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Amateur athletes from the Province of Liège

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Practices swimming or handball 3 to 8 hours per week.
  • Has the cognitive/mental capacity to take part in this study.
  • Fluent in the language of the survey (French).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Current orthodontic treatment or treatment completed within the last 2 months.
  • Shoulder and/or cervical spine injury or surgery within the past 6 months.
  • Current cessation or limitation of sports activity due to shoulder and/or cervical symptoms at the time of participation.
  • Any pathology or history of trauma to the dominant hand resulting in reduced grip strength.
  • Any clinically manifest infectious episode at the time of participation.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
athlete
amateur athletes in the Province of Liège, aged between 18 and 35

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Muscular Tone
Time Frame: Baseline

Myotonometry will be performed with the MyotonPRO device, a digital palpation device, on the masseter, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, erector spinae and quadriceps muscles at rest,

The device gives :

F - Natural Oscillation Frequency [Hz], characterizing Tone or Tension (higher values = higher tension)
Baseline
Dynamic Stiffness
Time Frame: Baseline

Myotonometry will be performed with the MyotonPRO device, a digital palpation device, on the masseter, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, erector spinae and quadriceps muscles at rest,

The device gives :

S - Dynamic Stiffness [N/m] (This biophysical parameter reflects the muscle's ability to resist contractions or external stresses to deformation, it can increased with exercice or pain)
Baseline
Muscular elasticity
Time Frame: Baseline

Myotonometry will be performed with the MyotonPRO device, a digital palpation device, on the masseter, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, erector spinae and quadriceps muscles at rest,

The device gives parameter of the neuromuscular function:

D - Logarithmic Decrement [relative unit], characterizing Elasticity (Higher values = lower elasticity)
Baseline
Muscular Mechanical Stress Relaxation Time
Time Frame: Baseline

Myotonometry will be performed with the MyotonPRO device, a digital palpation device, on the masseter, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, erector spinae and quadriceps muscles at rest,

The device gives :

R - Mechanical Stress Relaxation Time [ms] (low value correspond to fast tissue recovers its shape)
Baseline
Muscular Creep
Time Frame: Baseline

Myotonometry will be performed with the MyotonPRO device, a digital palpation device, on the masseter, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, erector spinae and quadriceps muscles at rest,

The device gives :

C - Ratio of Relaxation and Deformation time [relative unit], characterizing Creep (Higher Creep Value: Indicates higher fluidity, meaning the muscle is less rigid)
Baseline
Maximal grip strength test
Time Frame: Baseline
Will be evaluated with the Eforto device, which is the first validated device to measure maximal grip strength test. One value in kPa. Higher values indicate higher muscle strength.
Baseline
Muscle fatigue
Time Frame: Baseline
Will be evaluated with the Eforto device, which is the first validated device to measure muscle fatigability (fatigue resistance test, which was shown to reflect the level of both muscle energy and metabolism, neuromuscular function, and immune and stress responses). One value obtained, in seconds. Cut-off normative values in healthy 25-35 year-old male and female people are available, and lower values indicate increased muscle fatigability.
Baseline
Trapeze isometric force
Time Frame: Baseline
Will be evaluated with dynamometer, higher values (unit is N) meaning higher muscular isometric force
Baseline
Muscular Tone
Time Frame: 15-30 minutes after training

Myotonometry will be performed with the MyotonPRO device, a digital palpation device, on the masseter, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, erector spinae and quadriceps muscles at rest,

The device gives :

F - Natural Oscillation Frequency [Hz], characterizing Tone or Tension (higher values = higher tension)
15-30 minutes after training
Dynamic Stiffness
Time Frame: 15-30 minutes after training

Myotonometry will be performed with the MyotonPRO device, a digital palpation device, on the masseter, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, erector spinae and quadriceps muscles at rest,

The device gives :

S - Dynamic Stiffness [N/m] (This biophysical parameter reflects the muscle's ability to resist contractions or external stresses to deformation, it can increased with exercice or pain)
15-30 minutes after training
Muscular elasticity
Time Frame: 15-30 minutes after training

Myotonometry will be performed with the MyotonPRO device, a digital palpation device, on the masseter, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, erector spinae and quadriceps muscles at rest,

The device gives parameter of the neuromuscular function:

D - Logarithmic Decrement [relative unit], characterizing Elasticity (Higher values = lower elasticity)
15-30 minutes after training
Muscular Mechanical Stress Relaxation Time
Time Frame: 15-30 minutes after training

Myotonometry will be performed with the MyotonPRO device, a digital palpation device, on the masseter, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, erector spinae and quadriceps muscles at rest,

The device gives :

R - Mechanical Stress Relaxation Time [ms] (low value correspond to fast tissue recovers its shape)
15-30 minutes after training
Muscular Creep
Time Frame: 15-30 minutes after training

Myotonometry will be performed with the MyotonPRO device, a digital palpation device, on the masseter, sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, erector spinae and quadriceps muscles at rest,

The device gives :

C - Ratio of Relaxation and Deformation time [relative unit], characterizing Creep (Higher Creep Value: Indicates higher fluidity, meaning the muscle is less rigid)
15-30 minutes after training

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Shoulder - passive range of motion
Time Frame: Baseline
Measurement of passive range of motion in internal and external rotation of the shoulder using a goniometer (in degrees), with the arm abducted 90° in the frontal plane. The higher values correspond to the higher passive range of motion
Baseline
Cervical spine mobility
Time Frame: Baseline
Cervical spine mobility (flexion, extension, lateral flexion to the right and left, and rotation to the right and left). Assessment using a ordinal scale with values : Good, limited, very limited, from better to worse outcomes.
Baseline
Athletic performance
Time Frame: Baseline

Athletic performance will be assessed and measured at the start of training and after the warm-up using a test specific to each sport.

For swimmers, a 50-meter crawl at maximum speed will be timed. For handball players, a T-test will be conducted and measured using photoelectric sensors. This test evaluates speed and accuracy on a course of cones arranged in a T-shape with specific distances between the cones (spaced 5 to 10 meters apart).

The lower values correspond to the better athletic performance.
Baseline
History of sports injuries
Time Frame: Baseline
Obtained through questioning following International Olympic Committee guidelines. Descriptive outcome. Score severity according to the number and the severity of the injuries.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Mainjot Amélie

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 21, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 29, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 29, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 21, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2026/241

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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