Effect of Combined Active Recovery and Foam Rolling Enhance Lactate Clearance and Reduce Muscle Soreness Following a Simulated Running Competition

NCT07439523 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: UNESA-ARFR-2026
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study investigates the effects of combining Active Recovery (AR) and Foam Rolling (FR) on blood lactate, heart rate, and muscle soreness in competitive 400-meter sprint athletes. Twenty healthy athletes will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: Experimental group: Active Recovery + Foam Rolling Control group: Active Recovery only All participants will perform a simulated 400-meter sprint. Following the sprint, both groups perform 5 minutes of light jogging (Active Recovery). Subsequently, participants in the experimental group will perform 10 minutes of foam rolling on the quadriceps, hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscles. Measurements include: Blood lactate: pre- and post-recovery Heart rate: baseline, pre-exercise, post-recovery Muscle soreness (VAS 0-10): quadriceps, hamstring, gastrocnemius at baseline, pre-exercise, post-recovery, 1 hour, and 24 hours post-exercise The study aims to determine whether adding foam rolling to active recovery improves post-exercise physiological and perceptual recovery markers. Participants will not be informed of their group assignment to reduce bias; only the investigators will know. All procedures will take place at the Athletics Track, Surabaya State University, Indonesia. Ethical approval has been obtained from Komite Etik Penelitian Kesehatan STIKES Guna Bangsa Yogyakarta (Ethical Approval No: 009/KEPK/II/2026).

Conditions

Recovery Strategies After Simulated 400-meter Sprint in University Athletes

Keywords

Active Recovery; Foam Rolling; Blood Lactate; combination; Heart Rate; Muscle Soreness; Athletics; Quadriceps; Hamstring; Gastrocnemius; Track and Field

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Blood Lactate Concentration

  Blood lactate will be measured using a finger-prick lactate analyzer immediately before and after the recovery protocol following a 400-meter sprint.

  Pre-recovery and post-recovery (15 minutes)

• Heart Rate

  Heart rate will be recorded using a Polar H-10 chest strap monitor at baseline, immediately before the sprint, and immediately after the recovery protocol.

  Baseline, pre-exercise, and post-recovery (15 minutes after completion of recovery protocol)

• Muscle Soreness VAS (Quadriceps, Hamstring, Gastrocnemius)

  Muscle soreness will be assessed using a visual analog scale (0-10) for quadriceps, hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscles at baseline, pre-exercise, post-recovery, 1 hour, and 24 hours post-exercise.

  Baseline, pre-exercise, post-recovery (15 minutes after completion of recovery protocol), 1 hour, 24 hours post-exercise

Study Arms (2)

Active Recovery + Foam Rolling

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants perform a 400-meter sprint followed by 5 minutes of active recovery (light jogging). Subsequently, participants in this group perform 10 minutes of foam rolling focusing on quadriceps, hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscles. Blood lactate is measured pre- and post-recovery. Heart rate is recorded at baseline, pre-exercise, and post-recovery using a chest strap monitor. Muscle soreness is assessed using a visual analog scale (0-10) at baseline, pre-exercise, post-recovery, 1 hour, and 24 hours post-exercise.

Behavioral: Active Recovery + Foam Rolling

Active Recovery Only

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants perform a 400-meter sprint followed by 5 minutes of active recovery (light jogging) only. Blood lactate is measured pre- and post-recovery. Heart rate is recorded at baseline, pre-exercise, and post-recovery using a chest strap monitor. Muscle soreness is assessed using a visual analog scale (0-10) at baseline, pre-exercise, post-recovery, 1 hour, and 24 hours post-exercise.

Behavioral: Active Recovery Only

Interventions

Active Recovery + Foam Rolling BEHAVIORAL

Participants perform a 400-meter sprint followed by 5 minutes of active recovery (light jogging). Subsequently, participants perform 10 minutes of foam rolling on quadriceps, hamstring, and gastrocnemius muscles. Blood lactate is measured pre- and post-recovery. Heart rate is recorded at baseline, pre-exercise, and post-recovery using a chest strap monitor. Muscle soreness is assessed using a visual analog scale (0-10) at baseline, pre-exercise, post-recovery, 1 hour, and 24 hours post-exercise.

Active Recovery + Foam Rolling

Active Recovery Only BEHAVIORAL

Participants perform a 400-meter sprint followed by 5 minutes of active recovery (light jogging) only. Blood lactate is measured pre- and post-recovery. Heart rate is recorded at baseline, pre-exercise, and post-recovery using a chest strap monitor. Muscle soreness is assessed using a visual analog scale (0-10) at baseline, pre-exercise, post-recovery, 1 hour, and 24 hours post-exercise.

Active Recovery Only

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 23 Years
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Male university athletes specializing in 400-meter sprint.
• Age between 18 and 23 years.
• Currently training regularly and free from musculoskeletal injuries.
• Willing to provide written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• History of cardiovascular, metabolic, or musculoskeletal disorders.
• Use of performance-enhancing drugs or supplements in the past 3 months.
• Inability to perform maximal sprint due to injury or other medical conditions.
• Refusal or inability to provide written informed consent.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Surabaya State University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Universitas Negeri Surabaya - Athletics Track

Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Konrad A, Nakamura M, Bernsteiner D, Tilp M. The Accumulated Effects of Foam Rolling Combined with Stretching on Range of Motion and Physical Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Sports Sci Med. 2021 Jul 1;20(3):535-545. doi: 10.52082/jssm.2021.535. eCollection 2021 Sep.

  PMID: 34267594 BACKGROUND

• Pearcey GE, Bradbury-Squires DJ, Kawamoto JE, Drinkwater EJ, Behm DG, Button DC. Foam rolling for delayed-onset muscle soreness and recovery of dynamic performance measures. J Athl Train. 2015 Jan;50(1):5-13. doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-50.1.01. Epub 2014 Nov 21.

  PMID: 25415413 BACKGROUND

• Hendricks S, Hill H, Hollander SD, Lombard W, Parker R. Effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery: A systematic review of the literature to guide practitioners on the use of foam rolling. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2020 Apr;24(2):151-174. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2019.10.019. Epub 2019 Nov 2.

  PMID: 32507141 BACKGROUND

• D'Amico A, Paolone V. The Effect of Foam Rolling on Recovery Between two Eight Hundred Metre Runs. J Hum Kinet. 2017 Jun 22;57:97-105. doi: 10.1515/hukin-2017-0051. eCollection 2017 Jun.

  PMID: 28713462 BACKGROUND

• Bibic E, Barisic V, Katanic B, Chernozub A, Trajkovic N. Acute Effects of Foam Rolling and Stretching on Physical Performance and Self-Perceived Fatigue in Young Football Players. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2025 Jan 17;10(1):36. doi: 10.3390/jfmk10010036.

  PMID: 39846677 BACKGROUND

• Wiewelhove T, Doweling A, Schneider C, Hottenrott L, Meyer T, Kellmann M, Pfeiffer M, Ferrauti A. A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Foam Rolling on Performance and Recovery. Front Physiol. 2019 Apr 9;10:376. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00376. eCollection 2019.

  PMID: 31024339 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Myalgia

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Participants were blinded to group allocation; only investigators were aware. Randomization was performed prior to the study day. On the day of testing, participants completed a 400-meter sprint followed by 5 minutes of active recovery. Subsequently, participants in the experimental group were called to perform foam rolling, while control participants continued active recovery only.
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator, Sport Science Department

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: Experimental group (Active Recovery + Foam Rolling) or Control group (Active Recovery only). Each participant will perform a simulated 400-meter sprint. Blood lactate will be measured pre- and post-recovery using a finger-prick lactate analyzer. Heart rate will be recorded at baseline, pre-exercise, and post-recovery using a Polar H-10. Muscle soreness of the quadriceps, hamstring, and gastrocnemius will be assessed using a visual analog scale (0-10) at baseline, pre-exercise, post-recovery, 1 hour, and 24 hours post-exercise. All procedures will be conducted at the Athletics Track, State University of Surabaya, Indonesia.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 17, 2026
• First Posted: February 27, 2026
• Study Start: February 18, 2026
• Primary Completion: February 19, 2026
• Study Completion: February 19, 2026
• Last Updated: May 7, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

ID (1)