Brief Summary

The present double-blinded randomized controlled design aims at comparing the effects of a full-body manual massage and foam rolling intervention. Sixty-five healthy individuals were randomly allocated to foam rolling, manual massage or a control intervention consisting in an autogenic relaxation routine.

Trial Health

On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline

Completed

Started Apr 2021

Geographic Reach

1 country

1 active site

Status

completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Same day study duration

Study Start

First participant enrolled

April 1, 2021

Completed

Same day until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

April 1, 2021

Completed

Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

April 1, 2021

Completed

15 days until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 16, 2021

Completed

10 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 26, 2021

Completed

Last Updated

April 26, 2021

Status Verified

April 1, 2021

Enrollment Period

Same day

First QC Date

April 16, 2021

Last Update Submit

April 21, 2021

Conditions

Health Behavior Health, Subjective Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Keywords

electroencephalographyelectrodermal activityflexibilityalertness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

Change in range of motion measures from standardized flexibility tests
Lower back and hamstring flexibility index from sit-and-reach and toe touch tests
Pretest and an immediate posttest after the intervention
Resting-state electroencephalography
Power of alpha and beta neural oscillations
Pretest and an immediate posttest after the intervention
Changes in subjective scores (self-reports on numeric rating scales)
Perceived anxiety and physical sensations (muscle pain, warmth and relaxation) on a numeric rating scale of 10 cm (0: "Complete absence of anxiety/muscle pain/muscle warmth/muscle relaxation"; 10: "Maximal possible levels of anxiety/muscle pain/muscle warmth/muscle relaxation")
Pretest and an immediate posttest after the intervention
Changes in mental calculation performances
Iterated substractions for 2 minutes
Pretest and an immediate posttest after the intervention
Changes in physiological arousal
Skin conductance during resting state periods
Pretest and an immediate posttest after the intervention

Study Arms (3)

Foam rolling

EXPERIMENTAL

The foam rolling routine consisted in unilateral exercises alternatively performed on both legs and bilateral exercises on lower and back muscles. All participants started with the feet in a standing up position with a lacrosse ball. Then, participants performed on the ground the foam rolling exercises with the foam roller targeting leg and back muscles.

Other: Psychometric ratings (Likert-scale)Behavioral: Range of motion measuresBehavioral: Mental calculation taskDevice: Resting-state electroencephalographyDevice: Resting-state galvanic skin resistance measures

Manual massage

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the manual massage group received manual massage by a professional physiotherapist who was blinded to the purpose of the experiment (20 years of registered practice). Participants were lying in the prone position on a massage table. To facilitate the physiotherapist's maneuvers, massage oil was used. The manual massage protocol reproduced several features of the foam rolling intervention, i.e., order of the areas massaged, massage time per muscles and total duration of the session.

Autogenic relaxation

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in the relaxation group listened to a 16 min relaxation audio tape, based on the autogenic training method. Participants were lying on the massage table in supine position, wearing headphones. During this desensitization-relaxation technique, they were guided to visualize bodily perceptions of heaviness and warmth in their arms, thorax and legs. To facilitate concentration, participants were left alone in a dark room.