Effects of Percussion Therapy on the Biomechanics of Pickleball Movement

NCT07005934 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: PointLomaNU
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

With increased demand on pickleball as a recreational exercise, it is of interest in investigating the biomechanical characteristics of pickleball and determining the impacts of percussion therapy on them. This study aims to examine the effects of percussion therapy on the biomechanics of pickleball movement and muscle activation patterns in recreational pickleball players. It is hypothesized that kinematics and kinetics of pickleball performance improves after 4 weeks of percussion therapy.

Conditions

Injury;Sports; Muscle Soreness

Keywords

kinematics; kinetics; electromyography

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Passive hip flexion range-of-motion (ROM)

  Passive flexion ROM (degrees) of the dominant hip

  Cross-sectional design with two tests over a 30 minute period (before and after a 20 minute intervention session)

• Passive knee flexion range-of-motion (ROM)

  Passive flexion ROM (degrees) of the dominant knee

  Cross-sectional design with two tests over a 30 minute period (before and after a 20 minute intervention session)

• Peak hip extensor moment

  Peak extensor moment (Nm) of the dominant hip during change-of-direction tasks

  Cross-sectional design with two tests over a 30 minute period (before and after a 20 minute intervention session)

• Peak hip abductor moment

  Peak abductor moment (Nm) of the dominant hip during change-of-direction tasks

  Cross-sectional design with two tests over a 30 minute period (before and after a 20 minute intervention session)

• Peak knee extensor moment

  Peak extensor moment (Nm) of the dominant knee during change-of-direction tasks

  Cross-sectional design with two tests over a 30 minute period (before and after a 20 minute intervention session)

• Peak knee abduction moment

  Peak abduction moment (Nm) of the dominant knee during change-of-direction tasks

  Cross-sectional design with two tests over a 30 minute period (before and after a 20 minute intervention session)

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Peak quadriceps group activation intensity

  Cross-sectional design with two tests over a 30 minute period (before and after a 20 minute intervention session)

• Peak lateral hamstrings group activation intensity

  Cross-sectional design with two tests over a 30 minute period (before and after a 20 minute intervention session)

Study Arms (2)

Control

NO INTERVENTION

No percussive therapy will be applied to participants in this group.

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Percussive therapy will be applied to participants in this group.

Device: Theragun Prime

Interventions

Theragun Prime DEVICE

Percussion massager

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 80 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age range: 18 - 80 years old
• Free from injury in lower extremity for the last 6 months
• Plays pickleball regularly defined as self-reported participation on at least a weekly basis for a year or more

You may not qualify if:

• \* Joint injury within previous 6 months

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Point Loma Nazarene University: lead
• Therabody, Inc.: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

PLNU x Padres Biomechanics Laboratory

San Diego, California, 92123, United States

Location

Related Publications (5)

• Ates R, Yasar P, Baskurt F, Baskurt Z, Ercan S. A Comparison of the Acute Effects of Percussion Massage Therapy and Static Stretching on Hamstring Elasticity. Ethiop J Health Sci. 2023 Jul;33(4):695-702. doi: 10.4314/ejhs.v33i4.16.

  PMID: 38784209 RESULT

• Azar FM, Lamplot JD, Bernholt DL, Spence DD. Pickleball: A Standard Review of Injury Prevalence and Prevention in a Rapidly Growing Sport. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2024 Nov 15;32(22):e1130-e1141. doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-24-00151. Epub 2024 Jul 26.

  PMID: 39079099 RESULT

• Alvarado F, Valenzuela KA, Finn A, Avila EL, Crussemeyer JA, Nakajima M. The Biomechanical Effects of Percussive Therapy Treatment on Jump Performance. Int J Exerc Sci. 2022 Jul 1;15(1):994-1006. doi: 10.70252/UIIY1243. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 36161205 RESULT

• Liu Z, Zhong Y, Maemichi T, Zhou Q, Okunuki T, Li Y, Kazuki W, Kumai T. Acute Effects of Local High-Frequency Percussive Massage on Deep Fascial and Muscular Stiffness and Joint Range of Motion in Young Adult Men. J Sport Rehabil. 2024 Mar 20;33(4):252-258. doi: 10.1123/jsr.2022-0455. Print 2024 May 1.

  PMID: 38508160 RESULT

• Sams L, Langdown BL, Simons J, Vseteckova J. The Effect Of Percussive Therapy On Musculoskeletal Performance And Experiences Of Pain: A Systematic Literature Review. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2023 Apr 1;18(2):309-327. doi: 10.26603/001c.73795. eCollection 2023.

  PMID: 37020441 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Athletic Injuries; Myalgia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Wounds and Injuries; Muscular Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Musculoskeletal Pain; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Full Professor

Model Details: This cross-sectional trial involves a single visit with two sessions of data collection in which performance of each participant will be assessed before and after a treatment session. * Test 1: passive range-of-motion (ROM) and 3D motion capture * Intervention: control group (flexibility and stretching treatment); intervention (flexibility and stretching treatment with percussive therapy) * Test 2: passive range-of-motion (ROM) and 3D motion capture

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 26, 2025
• First Posted: June 5, 2025
• Study Start: June 27, 2025
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2025
• Study Completion: March 31, 2026
• Last Updated: October 1, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)