Vibrational Percussion Massage Improves Rectus Femoris Mechanical Properties and Sports Performance in Physically Active Adults

May 17, 2026 updated by: YI-JU TSAI, National Cheng Kung University

Effects of Vibrational Percussion Massage on Mechanical Properties of Rectus Femoris and Sports Performance in Physically Active Adults

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if vibrational percussion massage (VPM) improves rectus femoris mechanical properties and sports performance after muscle fatigue in physically active adults. It will also examine the immediate effects of VPM on muscle function and recovery.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does VPM improve the mechanical properties of the rectus femoris muscle after fatigue?
  • Does VPM improve knee extensor strength and triple-hop performance after fatigue?

Researchers will compare measurements obtained before fatigue, after fatigue, and after a VPM intervention to evaluate the effects of VPM on muscle recovery and sports performance.

Participants will:

  • Perform a fatigue protocol targeting the lower extremity muscles.
  • Receive a 5-minute VPM intervention after the fatigue protocol.
  • Complete assessments of rectus femoris mechanical properties using a myotonemeter.
  • Perform maximal isometric knee extensor strength and triple-hop distance tests at three time points: before fatigue, after fatigue, and after VPM intervention.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

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.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

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.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

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.
26

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

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

  • Taiwan
      • Tainan, Taiwan, 701
        • National Cheng Kung University

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy indiciduals aged between 20 to 60 years old.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of spinal or lower extremity surgery
  • Current musculoskeletal pain interfering with daily activities
  • Smoking
  • Pregnancy
  • Presence of cardiopulmonary disorders
  • Scoliosis or other musculoskeletal deformities
  • Inability to complete the fatigued protocol

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

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Physically active adults
Device: Vibrational percussion massage
Participants will receive a 5-minute vibrational percussion massage (VPM) intervention applied to the right rectus femoris muscle using a handheld percussion massage device (Hypervolt, Hyperice, California, United States) with a spherical massage head at a fixed frequency of 53 Hz. The intervention will be administered by a trained physical therapist with the device applied perpendicularly to the treatment area. Two treatment locations on the rectus femoris muscle, including the midpoint and lower one-third of the muscle, will each receive 2.5 minutes of non-stroking stimulation. During the intervention, participants will lie in a supine position with both lower extremities fully relaxed and extended.

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
Muscle tension of the rectus femoris measured by myotonometry (Hz)
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Muscle tension represents the resting tone of the rectus femoris muscle, quantified by oscillation frequency. Higher values indicate greater resting muscle tension.
Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Muscle stiffness of the rectus femoris measured by myotonometry (N/m)
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Dynamic stiffness represents the resistance of the rectus femoris muscle to external deformation, with higher values indicating greater muscle stiffness and lower tissue compliance.
Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Muscle elasticity of the rectus femoris measured by myotonometry (logarithmic decrement)
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Muscle elasticity represents the ability of the rectus femoris muscle to restore its original shape after deformation. Lower values indicate better elasticity and lower energy dissipation.
Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Mechanical stress relaxation time of the rectus femoris measured by myotonometry (ms)
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Mechanical stress relaxation time represents the time required for the rectus femoris muscle to recover from deformation after an external mechanical impulse. Longer values indicate more compliant (softer) tissue, whereas shorter values indicate increased muscle stiffness.
Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Creep of the rectus femoris measured by myotonometry (ratio)
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Creep represents the viscoelastic deformation of the rectus femoris muscle under a constant mechanical load. Higher values indicate greater tissue elongation capacity and viscoelastic deformation, whereas lower values suggest reduced compliance.
Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.

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
Maximal isometric knee extensor strength measured by handheld dynamometry (N)
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Maximal isometric knee extensor strength was assessed using a handheld dynamometer. Participants performed a 6-second maximal voluntary isometric contraction of the knee extensors in a seated position, and the peak force was recorded. Three trials were performed and averaged for analysis.
Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
Triple-hop distance test (m)
Time Frame: Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.
The triple-hop test was used to assess functional lower-limb performance. Participants performed three consecutive maximal forward hops on the same limb and were required to maintain balance for 3 seconds after the final landing. The total hopping distance from the starting line to the final landing position was measured. Three trials were performed and averaged for analysis.
Assessed at baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and immediately after the 5-minute vibrational percussion massage intervention.

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.
National Cheng Kung University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Yi-Ju Tsai, PhD, National Cheng Kung University

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 (Actual)

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 12, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

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.
January 31, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
January 31, 2024

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).
May 6, 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.
May 6, 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.
May 12, 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.
May 19, 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.
May 17, 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.
July 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • VPM_Fatigue

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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