Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07652398

Effects of Passive Recovery Methods After High-Intensity Cycling Exercise

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.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Young Adult Health Young Adults

Age range

18 year–30 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Pamukkale University, Faculty of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation

Denizli, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Ummuhan Baş Aslan, Prof.

CONTACT

[email protected]

+902584295

About this study

This study is designed as a randomized, five-period, five-treatment crossover trial. All participants will complete a standardized high-intensity cycling exercise protocol during five separate study sessions. Following each cycling session, participants will receive one passive recovery intervention. The five recovery interventions are compression therapy, vacuum therapy, kinesiology taping, passive rest, and classical massage.

Participants will be randomized to one of five intervention sequences to balance the order of recovery interventions across the study period. Each intervention will be administered once to each participant, and all participants will receive all five interventions. The crossover design allows each participant to serve as his or her own control when comparing the acute effects of the recovery interventions.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 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

Exclusion criteria

  • 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

Treatment and study plan

High-Intensity Cycling Exercise Protocol

Behavioral

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.

Doctor Life MK400L Sequential Intermittent Compression Device

Device

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.

Other names: Doctor Life MK400L, MK4L250-BL, 6-Chamber Sequential Intermittent Compression Device, Compression Therapy

Intelect Neo Therapy System with Chattanooga Intelect Neo Vacuum Module

Device

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.

Other names: Intelect Neo, Chattanooga Intelect Neo Vacuum Module, Vacuum Therapy, Vacuum-Assisted Therapy

Kinesiology taping

Other

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.

Passive Rest

Other

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

Other

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.

Primary outcomes

  1. Total Quality Recovery (TQR) Score

    Time frame: 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.

    Recovery status assessed using the Total Quality Recovery (TQR) scale following each recovery intervention.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Perceived Recovery Status

    Time frame: 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.

    Perceived recovery will be assessed using a standardized perceived recovery scale after each passive recovery intervention.

  2. Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

    Time frame: 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.

    Perceived exertion will be assessed using the Rating of Perceived Exertion scale during or after the standardized cycling exercise protocol.

  3. Fatigue Visual Analog Scale (VAS)

    Time frame: 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.

    Perceived general fatigue will be assessed using a 10-cm Visual Analog Scale, with higher scores indicating greater fatigue.

  4. Muscle Soreness Visual Analog Scale (VAS)

    Time frame: 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

    Perceived muscle soreness will be assessed using a Visual Analog Scale following each recovery intervention.

  5. Vertical Jump Performance

    Time frame: 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

    Lower-limb explosive performance will be assessed using a vertical jump test.

  6. Sit-and-Reach Test

    Time frame: 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

    Hamstring and lower-back flexibility will be assessed using the sit-and-reach test.

  7. Heart Rate

    Time frame: 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.

    Heart rate will be measured to monitor physiological response to exercise and recovery interventions.

  8. Blood Pressure

    Time frame: 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.

    Systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be measured to monitor cardiovascular response to exercise and recovery interventions.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Pamukkale University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Acute Effects of Five Passive Recovery Interventions Following High-Intensity Cycling Exercise: A Randomized Five-Period Crossover Trial

Acronym: RECOVER-CYCLE

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jun 17, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 14, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.