Efficacy of Microcurrent Therapy After Eccentric Exercise

15 participants will be included in the present study. They will attend two groups of three sessions (i.e. sessions 1-2-3 and sessions 4-5-6) spaced by 3 months:

• session 1 and 4 (performed a few days before the experimental session): session for participants to get familiarized with the test battery.
• session 2 and 5: experimental session (the test battery followed by the provocative task, the test battery, the one-hour "treatment" and the test battery again).
• session 3 and 6 (performed 2 days later): the test battery.

The test battery included flexibility, functional, pressure pain threshold tests.

The provocative task was an isokinetic eccentric task for knee flexors and extensors.

The treatment was either a microcurrent therapy or a placebo microcurrent therapy.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Sham microcurrent therapy; Device: Microcurrent Therapy

Detailed Description

Objective:

To study the efficacy of microcurrent to reduce DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) occuring after an eccentric exercise

Methods:

Experimental protocol

Participants will attend two groups of three sessions (i.e. sessions 1-2-3 and sessions 4-5-6) spaced by 3 months:

• session 1 and 4 (performed a few days before the experimental session): session for participants to get familiarized with the test battery.
• session 2 and 5: experimental session: the test battery followed by the provocative task, the test battery, the one-hour "treatment" (real microcurrents at one of the session and placebo microcurrents at the other one) and the test battery again.
• session 3 and 6 (performed 2 days later): the test battery.

Before starting session 2, patients will be randomized into the microcurrent group or the placebo microcurrent group. Three months later, participants will change of group.

The Test Battery: it will be conducted by a blind (to the treatment) investigator. It will include knee flexor and extensor flexibility tests, a functional test (unilateral " counter-movement jump "), a pain to measure pain threshold of thigh muscles and an isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) test of knee flexors and extensors.

The Provocative task: 40 isokinetic eccentric contractions of knee flexors and extensors.

The one-hour Treatment: with the participant lying on an examination table, several electrodes were located over the muscles involved in the provocative task. The microcurrent therapy was then started. It was stopped after 5 seconds in the "Placebo group" and after one hour in the real "Microcurrent group". The microcurrents were delivered by the machine B-E-St®.

Follow-up: in addition to the 48hours follow-up (session 3/6), participants will fill in a pain visual analogue scale each day after the session 2/5.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 15
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Liege, Belgium, 4000
    • Liege University Hospital Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 25 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Asymptomatic subjects

Exclusion Criteria:

• practice of sports >3h per week
• present pain in the lower limbs
• history of thigh muscle injuries
• recent injury (last 3 months) of the lower limbs
• recent (last 3 months) plyometric exercises or lower limbs strengthening program.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Sham Comparator: Sham microcurrent therapy; The participant is lying on an examination table for one hour; several electrodes are placed over the muscles involved in the provocative task. The microcurrent therapy is then started but it lasts only for 5 seconds.	Device: Sham microcurrent therapy; Several electrodes are placed over the muscles involved in the provocative task. The microcurrent therapy is then started but lasts only for five seconds.
Experimental: Microcurrent Group; The participant is lying on an examination table for one hour; several electrodes are placed over the muscles involved in the provocative task. The microcurrent therapy is then started.	Device: Microcurrent Therapy; Several electrodes are placed over the muscles involved in the provocative task. The microcurrent therapy is then started and lasts for one hour.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Intensity of pain (Visual analogue scale)	baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up, following days until pain disappears

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Flexibility of quadriceps and hamstrings muscles	Flexibility of quadriceps muscle was assessed by means of the Prone Quadriceps Flexibility test. Flexibility of hamstrings was assessed by means of the Straight Leg Raising (SLR) test	baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up
Functional test (Unilateral counter-movement jump)	Unilateral counter-movement jump	baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up
Pain sensibility threshold (Determined by using a dolorimeter)	Determined by using a dolorimeter	baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up
Isometric strength (Maximal voluntary contraction of knee flexor and extensor muscles)	Maximal voluntary contraction of knee flexor and extensor muscles	baseline, post-provocative task, post-treatment, 48h follow-up

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Liege
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Christophe Demoulin, PhD, University of Liège

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2015
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 6, 2014
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 17, 2014
• First Posted (Estimate): December 23, 2014

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): June 9, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 8, 2015
• Last Verified: June 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: pain; flexibility; microcurent
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Musculoskeletal Pain; Myalgia
• Other Study ID Numbers: Microcurrent