The Influence of Passive Local Muscle Vibration on Mechanical Power Output and Neuromuscular Activity During Counterbalanced RPE-clamped Cycling: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Tendo device Vibrration: Arm Description: Participants receive focal muscle vibration delivered via a lightweight, wearable Tendo system. The vibration is applied bilaterally to the Achilles and patellar tendons with a frequency of 100 Hz and an amplitude of 1 mm. This condition consists of a 10-minute resting pre-exercise stimulation followed by a 5-minute "booster" stimulation administered dynamically during movement midway through the cycling protocol to sustain the neurophysiological Tonic Vibration Reflex (TVR).

Sham Muscle Vibration: Participants undergo an identical protocol but receive a low-frequency, non-therapeutic sham stimulation. The stimulation is applied bilaterally to the Achilles and patellar tendons via the Tendo sleeve with a subminimal frequency of 15 Hz and an amplitude of 1 mm. This condition consists of a 10-minute resting pre-exercise sham stimulation followed by a 5-minute booster sham stimulation during the active cycling protocol to control for the acoustic noise, physical presence of the device, and potential placebo effects.

Laboratory control vibration: Participants receive focal muscle vibration delivered via a stationary laboratory device. The vibration is applied bilaterally to the Achilles and patellar tendons with a frequency of 100 Hz and an amplitude of 1 mm. This condition consists of a 10-minute resting pre-exercise stimulation followed by a 5-minute resting "booster" stimulation administered midway through the cycling protocol to sustain the neurophysiological Tonic Vibration Reflex (TVR).

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to find out if applying mild mechanical vibration (100 Hz) to the the Achilles and patellar tendons before and during exercise can make cycling feel easier and help athletes generate more power. The researchers also want to test if a new, lightweight wearable sleeve called "Tendo" is just as effective at doing this as a stationary laboratory machine. The study will involve 40 healthy, active student-athletes aged 18 to 26. Each participant will attend three separate testing sessions in a laboratory, with at least 48 hours of rest between sessions. During each 85-minute session, participants will:

Complete baseline resting measurements of their muscles and tendons. Ride a stationary exercise bicycle with a covered screen, adjusting their speed and pedaling based only on how hard they feel they are working, using a 0-100 effort scale called Borg CR100.

Receive a 10-minute resting tendon vibration. Repeat the cycling test with a short "booster" vibration to see how their performance changes.

To understand how the vibration works, the researchers will use harmless skin sensors to measure muscle activity (sEMG), a gentle tapping device to check tendon stiffness (MyotonPRO), and ultrasound imaging to look at tendon structure.

Stationary Vibration: High-frequency (100 Hz) vibration from a fixed laboratory machine.

Wearable Vibration: High-frequency (100 Hz) vibration from the portable Tendo sleeve.

Sham Vibration: A low-frequency (15 Hz) vibration that does not trigger a physiological response, serving as a control to make sure the results are not just due to a placebo effect.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Mean Power Output — Continuous recording at 1 Hz, analyzed as the mean power output for each 3-minute block during the cycling task (specifically comparing blocks across the three experimental sessions).
  The mean power output (measured in Watts) generated by the participant during the submaximal cycling task. The task is clamp-controlled based on a constant, pre-determined rate of perceived exertion (RPE) on the Borg CR100 scale. Since the perception of effort is kept constant (clamped), the changes in generated power output will reflect the actual physiological and performance efficacy of the focal muscle vibration compared to the sham condition.

Trial sites (1)

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