Acute Effects of Neurodynamics on Strength and Endurance in Athletes

Acute Effects of Neurodynamics on Strength and Endurance in Athletes: A Randomized Control Trial

This study explores the acute effects of neurodynamics, an intervention commonly used by physical therapist to improve nerve mobility and decrease pain, on the strength and muscular endurance in the athletic population. This study aims to find if these interventions can maintain or promote strength and endurance in the hamstrings. The studies results will help physical therapist better prescribe exercise and hands-on treatment for hamstring and sciatic nerve related conditions and injuries.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Lumbar Disc Herniation; Sciatic Nerve Injury; Sciatic Radiculopathy; Hamstring Injury Prevention; Sciatic Leg Pain; Hamstring Rupture; Hamstring Injuries; Hamstring Muscle Strength; Hamstring Muscle Tightness; Lumbar Disc Herniation With Radiculopathy; Hamstring Muscle Strain
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Sciatic Slider; Other: Sciatic Tensioner; Other: Mechanically loaded neurodynamic sciatic floss; Device: Elastic Resistance Band

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 45
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Dr. Tommy Wyat, DPT; Phone Number: 856-381-6652; Email: twyatt2@highpoint.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • High Point, North Carolina, United States, 27268
      • Recruiting
      • High Point University
      • Contact: Dr. Tommy Wyatt, DPT; Phone Number: 856-381-6652; Email: twyatt2@highpoint.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Tommy Wyatt, DPT

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants must be between 18 and 30 years of age.
• Must be able to read, understand, and provide informed consent, in English.
• Must be currently participating in an organized sport (e.g. collegiate, club, or competitive recreational level) or engaging in structured resistance training and athletic conditioning for recreational sports events (e.g 5k, marathon, Crossfit, Hyrox, etc).
• Medically stable with no known contraindications to physical exertion.
• Cleared for participation in strength or maximal-effort isometric testing.
• Be able to perform lower extremity isometric testing without pain that limits maximal effort.
• Must have 2 lower extremities capable to producing full range knee flexion and extension range of motion.
• No medical condition that significantly alters lower extremity neuromuscular performance.
• No history of lower extremity surgery in the past 12 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals younger than 18 or older than 30.
• Acute lower extremity injury in the last 12 weeks.
• Lower extremity surgery within the last 12 months.
• Pain in either lower extremity that would limit maximal physical exertion.
• History of neurological disorders, including but not limited to: Neuropathy, Stoke, MS, Parkinson's Disease, etc.
• Use of medications that significantly impact neuromuscular performance, strength or fatigue.
• No supplementation that affects neuromuscular performance, strength, or fatigue.
• Unable to read and understand English.
• Not in a vulnerable population: Pregnant, mentally or physically challenged, cognitively impaired.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Sliders; Manually applying slider technique of neurodynamics.	Other: Sciatic Slider; Mobility of a nerve, by placing tension on one end of the nerve and slacking (removing) tension off the other side of the nerve, through a full range of motion.
Active Comparator: Tensioners; Manually applied tensioner, neurodynamic technique	Other: Sciatic Tensioner; Loading the nerve, by placing tension on both ends of the nerve, isometrically at end range of motion.
Experimental: Mechanically Loaded Neurodynamics; Externally loaded neurodynamic intervention in the slider technique.	Other: Mechanically loaded neurodynamic sciatic floss; Placing tension on one end of the nerve while taking the tension off the other end, under external load of an elastic resistance band.; Device: Elastic Resistance Band; Elastic resistance band was used to provide submaximal resistance during the mechanically loaded neurodynamic intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Isometric Strength	Isometric strength of the hamstrings in knee flexion.	From initial strength and endurance test, to the post intervention strength and endurance test, assessed during a single study visit, assessed up to 30 minutes.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Endurance Ratio (isokinetic)	Endurance ratio of knee flexion, measured isokinetically.	From initial endurance test to post intervention endurance test, during a single study visit, assessed up to 30 minutes.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: High Point University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Tommy Wyatt, DPT, High PointUniversity

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 16, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 20, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 22, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 20, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: athlete; sciatic nerve; hamstring
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Bone Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Spinal Diseases; Hernia; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Intervertebral Disc Displacement
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB-FY2026-110

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: The raw pre and post isometric and isokinetic endurance ratio data for each participant will be shared. Along with the intervention leg, testing order, intervention provided, level of athletic participation, primary sport activity, age, sex.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: From study end date, for 3 years following.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Yes, individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article, after de-identification (text, tables, figures, and appendices), will be shared. Information will be available to researchers who provide a methodologically sound proposal to achieve aims in the approved proposal. Data will be available beginning 3 months and ending 36 months following article publication. Supporting documents including the study protocol and statistical analysis plan will also be available. Requests should be directed to twyatt2@highpoint.edu
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No