Effects of Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy on Sport Performance and Recovery

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Active Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy: 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.

Sham Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy: 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.

Study 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.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Wingate anaerobic test rate of fatigue — From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks, and a 12-week follow-up
  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.
• Blood lactate level — From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks, and a 12-week follow-up
  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).

Trial sites (1)

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