Effects of Passive Recovery Methods After High-Intensity Cycling Exercise
RECOVER-CYCLE
Acute Effects of Five Passive Recovery Interventions Following High-Intensity Cycling Exercise: A Randomized Five-Period Crossover Trial
1 other identifier
interventional
12
1 country
1
Brief Summary
This randomized crossover trial will investigate the acute effects of five passive recovery interventions following a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol. Participants will complete the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. Immediately after each exercise session, participants will receive one of five recovery interventions: compression therapy, vacuum therapy, kinesiology taping, passive rest, or classical massage. The order of the interventions will be randomized according to a balanced crossover sequence. Each participant will experience all five recovery interventions during the study period. Outcomes related to post-exercise recovery will be assessed across intervention periods.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at below P25 for not_applicable
Started Jun 2026
Shorter than P25 for not_applicable
1 active site
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
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
June 10, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
June 17, 2026
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
June 22, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
August 14, 2026
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
August 21, 2026
July 14, 2026
April 1, 2026
2 months
June 10, 2026
July 10, 2026
Conditions
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Total Quality Recovery (TQR) Score
Recovery status assessed using the Total Quality Recovery (TQR) scale following each recovery intervention.
At each of the five study sessions: immediately after completion of the 30-minute recovery period and 24 hours after completion of the high-intensity cycling exercise.
Secondary Outcomes (8)
Perceived Recovery Status
At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise, immediately after completion of the 30-minute recovery period, and 24 hours after completion of the high-intensity cycling exercise.
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise and immediately after completion of the 15-minute high-intensity cycling bout, before the cool-down and recovery intervention.
Fatigue Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise; immediately after the 15-minute high-intensity cycling bout; immediately after the 30-minute recovery period; and 24 hours after completion of cycling exercise.
Muscle Soreness Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise; immediately after completion of the standardized cool-down and before initiation of the 30-minute recovery period; immediately after the 30-minute recovery period; and 24 hours after cyclin
Vertical Jump Performance
At each of the five study sessions: immediately before exercise; immediately after completion of the standardized cool-down and before initiation of the 30-minute recovery period; immediately after the 30-minute recovery period; and 24 hours after cyclin
- +3 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (5)
Sequence A: Compression-Vacuum-KT-Rest-Massage
EXPERIMENTALParticipants randomized to Sequence A will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. Immediately after each session, they will receive recovery interventions in the following order: Session 1 compression therapy, Session 2 vacuum therapy, Session 3 kinesiology taping, Session 4 passive rest, and Session 5 classical massage.
Sequence B: Vacuum-KT-Rest-Massage-Compression
EXPERIMENTALParticipants randomized to Sequence B will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. Immediately after each session, they will receive recovery interventions in the following order: Session 1 vacuum therapy, Session 2 kinesiology taping, Session 3 passive rest, Session 4 classical massage, and Session 5 compression therapy.
Sequence C: KT-Rest-Massage-Compression-Vacuum
EXPERIMENTALParticipants randomized to Sequence C will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. Immediately after each session, they will receive recovery interventions in the following order: Session 1 kinesiology taping, Session 2 passive rest, Session 3 classical massage, Session 4 compression therapy, and Session 5 vacuum therapy.
Sequence D: Rest-Massage-Compression-Vacuum-KT
EXPERIMENTALParticipants randomized to Sequence D will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. Immediately after each session, they will receive recovery interventions in the following order: Session 1 passive rest, Session 2 classical massage, Session 3 compression therapy, Session 4 vacuum therapy, and Session 5 kinesiology taping.
Sequence E: Massage-Compression-Vacuum-KT-Rest
EXPERIMENTALParticipants randomized to Sequence E will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. Immediately after each session, they will receive recovery interventions in the following order: Session 1 classical massage, Session 2 compression therapy, Session 3 vacuum therapy, Session 4 kinesiology taping, and Session 5 passive rest.
Interventions
All participants will perform a standardized supervised high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. The cycling protocol will be administered before the assigned recovery intervention in each study period. Exercise intensity, duration, and progression will be standardized across participants and sessions.
Compression therapy will be administered using the Doctor Life MK400L 6-chamber sequential intermittent compression device, code MK4L250-BL. The intervention will be applied immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session. The application will be delivered according to a standardized protocol, including participant positioning, treated body region, application duration, and device settings.
Kinesiology taping will be applied immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session by a trained physiotherapist. Tape placement, application technique, tension, target region, and wear time will be standardized across participants.
Participants will rest quietly after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session for a standardized duration. No manual therapy, mechanical therapy, taping, or additional recovery intervention will be administered during the passive rest condition.
Classical massage will be administered immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session by a trained physiotherapist. The treated body region, massage techniques, sequence of techniques, pressure, and application duration will be standardized across participants.
Vacuum therapy will be administered using the Intelect Neo Therapy System with the Chattanooga Intelect Neo Vacuum Module. The intervention will be applied immediately after the standardized high-intensity cycling exercise session. The application will be delivered according to a standardized protocol, including participant positioning, treated body region, application duration, vacuum cup placement, and vacuum pressure settings.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Healthy adult volunteers aged 18-30 years
- Able to perform high-intensity cycling exercise
- No musculoskeletal injury within the last six months
- No known cardiovascular, neurological, or metabolic disease
- Not using medication that may affect exercise performance, pain perception, or recovery
- Willing to attend all five study sessions
- Willing to receive all five passive recovery interventions
- Provided written informed consent
You may not qualify if:
- Presence of acute or chronic musculoskeletal injury
- History of cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory, or metabolic disease
- Contraindication to high-intensity exercise
- Contraindication to compression therapy, vacuum therapy, kinesiology taping, passive rest, or classical massage
- Skin allergy, open wound, dermatological disease, or sensitivity to kinesiology tape
- Use of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxant, or performance-enhancing medication during the study period
- Participation in another exercise or recovery intervention study during the study period
- Failure to attend all study sessions or comply with study procedures
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (1)
Pamukkale University, Faculty of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
Denizli, Turkey (Türkiye)
MeSH Terms
Interventions
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- CROSSOVER
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Professor, Faculty of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
June 10, 2026
First Posted
June 17, 2026
Study Start
June 22, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
August 14, 2026
Study Completion (Estimated)
August 21, 2026
Last Updated
July 14, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-04