Which Physical Activity Influences Achilles Tendon Blood Flow the Most?

November 30, 2021 updated by: University Ghent

Effect of Warming-up Activities on the Vascularisation of the Achilles Tendon: a Cohort Study

Previous studies have shown that a decreased blood flow is a risk factor in the occurrence of Achilles tendon (AT) injuries. Based on the current literature, no consensus was reached as to the most solid warming-up of the AT. Therefore, knowledge about activities which increase blood flow in the AT could be useful in the development of a solid warming-up programme for the AT. The aim of this investigation was to define the influence of different kinds of physical activity on the vascularisation of the AT in a healthy asymptomatic population. Subjects performed five activities in randomized order: running, static stretch, dynamic stretch, cycling and rope skipping. The vascularisation of the AT of the dominant limb was measured with the non-invasive oxygen-to-see (O2C) device. Blood flow was measured before, immediately after, five and ten minutes after activity to investigate the duration of the vascular response to activity.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

60

Phase

  • 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

      • Ghent, Belgium
        • Ghent 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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 60 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • no history of Achilles tendon complaints
  • healthy and active adolescents

Exclusion Criteria:

  • history of Achilles tendon pain or current complaints
  • not healthy or not active population
  • children

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: healthy active participants
Subjects performed five activities: running, static stretch, dynamic stretch, cycling and rope skipping

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Achilles tendon blood flow
Time Frame: 3 minutes before and immediately (0 minutes) after the physical activity to assess the change in blood flow due to the physical activity
measured with the non-invasive O2C device
3 minutes before and immediately (0 minutes) after the physical activity to assess the change in blood flow due to the physical activity

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

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)

March 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2018

Study Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 5, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 13, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

July 14, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

December 1, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 30, 2021

Last Verified

November 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Undecided

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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