Percussive Massage Therapy and Muscle Architecture

January 16, 2026 updated by: Murat Emirzeoglu, Karadeniz Technical University

Acute Effects of Percussive Massage Therapy Applied to Healthy Individuals on Gastrocnemius Muscle Architecture: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Percussive massage therapy (PMT) is widely used in therapeutic and athletic settings, but its effects on muscle architecture are not yet fully understood. This study aims to examine the acute effects of PMT applied to the plantar flexor muscles on the muscle architecture of the medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles in healthy adults aged 18 to 30 years. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a PMT group or a control group. Ultrasonographic assessments will be performed before and after the intervention to evaluate muscle thickness, pennation angle, and fascicle length. The findings of this study may help clarify the acute effects of PMT on muscle structure.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

40

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 Contact

Study Locations

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged between 18 and 30 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of any surgical procedure
  • Hospitalization for any reason within the last two years
  • Hospital admission for treatment purposes within the last six months
  • Use of any medication within the last three months
  • History of congenital, neurological, orthopedic, rheumatologic, or cardiopulmonary pathology or anomaly
  • Presence of any known serious systemic disease
  • Current health-related complaints or symptoms
  • Body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m² or higher

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: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Percussive Massage Therapy (PMT)
Participants in this arm receive percussive massage therapy applied to the plantar flexor muscle groups of both legs. The intervention is administered for 8 minutes under standardized conditions.
Other: Percussive Massage Therapy (PMT)
Percussive massage therapy is applied to the plantar flexor muscle groups of both legs for 8 minutes using standardized procedures.
No Intervention: Control Group
Participants in this arm do not receive any intervention and rest in a prone position.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Muscle Architecture
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after the intervention
Changes in gastrocnemius medialis and gastrocnemius lateralis muscle architecture, including muscle thickness, pennation angle, and fascicle length, are assessed using ultrasonography.
Immediately before and immediately after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Karadeniz Technical University

Collaborators

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

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)

November 17, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

February 10, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 10, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 16, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 26, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 26, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 16, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2025-69

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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