NCT07288892

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy works to improve sports performance and recovery in athletes. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does PEMF therapy enhance participants' performance during exercise?
  • Does PEMF therapy enhance recovery in participants after exercise? Researchers will compare active PEMF therapy to sham PEMF therapy (using the same device for both, but without any electromagnetic fields) to see if active PEMF therapy is effective in improving sports performance and recovery. Participants will:
  • Receive active pulsed electromagnetic field therapy or sham pulsed electromagnetic field therapy twice a week for 8 weeks.
  • Visit the laboratory at baseline, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks for sports performance and recovery assessments.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

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

Enrollment
30

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for not_applicable

Timeline
3mo left

Started Jan 2026

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

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

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress49%
Jan 2026Aug 2026

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

November 16, 2025

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

December 17, 2025

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 19, 2026

Completed
5 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 30, 2026

Expected
2 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

August 30, 2026

Last Updated

April 8, 2026

Status Verified

April 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

5 months

First QC Date

November 16, 2025

Last Update Submit

April 6, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

PEMFSportPerformanceRecoveryExercise

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Wingate anaerobic test rate of fatigue

    The Wingate anaerobic test involves a 30-second all-out cycling effort performed while stationary. Participants pedal as fast as possible against a standardised resistance for 30 seconds. The percentage decline in power output is calculated from the peak power to the lowest power during the test. It measures how quickly an individual fatigues during intense anaerobic exercise and their capacity to sustain high power output.

    From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks, and a 12-week follow-up

  • Blood lactate level

    Finger-prick blood sampling for lactate levels will be performed at 4 time points (baseline and 5, 15, and 30 min after the Wingate anaerobic test).

    From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks, and a 12-week follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (7)

  • Wingate anaerobic test peak power

    From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks, and a 12-week follow-up

  • Wingate anaerobic test mean power

    From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks, and a 12-week follow-up

  • Skeletal muscle mass

    From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks, and a 12-week follow-up

  • Muscle stiffness

    From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks, and a 12-week follow-up

  • Muscle oxygen saturation

    From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks, and a 12-week follow-up

  • +2 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

Active PEMF Group

EXPERIMENTAL

The active PEMF group will receive 8 weeks of active pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.

Device: Active Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy

Sham PEMF Group

SHAM COMPARATOR

The sham PEMF group will receive 8 weeks of sham pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.

Device: Sham Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy

Interventions

The experimental group will receive active Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy twice weekly for 8 weeks, for a total of 16 sessions. Participants will sit comfortably in a chair with their legs placed inside the solenoid of the PEMF device. The active PEMF settings are 1.2 milliTesla (mT) at 50 Hertz (Hz). Each PEMF session will last 20 minutes, with 10 minutes of active PEMF exposure per leg.

Active PEMF Group

The control group will receive sham Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy twice weekly for 8 weeks, for a total of 16 sessions. Participants will sit comfortably in a chair with their legs placed inside the solenoid of the PEMF device. The sham PEMF settings are 0 milliTesla (mT) at 0 Hertz (Hz). Each PEMF session will last 20 minutes, with 10 minutes of sham PEMF exposure per leg.

Sham PEMF Group

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 30 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Exercise at least twice a week in the past 3 months
  • Perform resistance training 1-3 times per week in the past 3 months.
  • Have competed in at least two matches / events in the past one year (e.g. heat and final are counted as two events).

You may not qualify if:

  • History of fracture or surgery over the past year.
  • History of musculoskeletal injury in the last 3 months that required more than 7 days of rest.
  • Currently experiencing any injury, discomfort and/or pain at the time of study.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Human Bioenergetics Laboratory

Singapore, 637616, Singapore

RECRUITING

Related Links

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

  • Pui Wah KONG, PhD

    Nanyang Technological University

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Pui Wah KONG, PhD

CONTACT

Stephen Francis BURNS, PhD

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

November 16, 2025

First Posted

December 17, 2025

Study Start

January 19, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 30, 2026

Last Updated

April 8, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Individual participant data will be shared upon reasonable requests.

Locations