Date of Award

4-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Health and Human Performance

Program

Exercise Science (MS)

First Advisor/Chairperson

Lukas Klawitter

Abstract

Increasing blood flow to exercised areas expedites metabolite removal, aiding quicker recovery and preventing injury during return to exercise. However, the effectiveness of different recovery modalities remains unclear. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and heat therapy (HT) as recovery modalities after inducing fatigue with maximal exercise in active individuals. The study involved 56 participants who performed a fatiguing exercise before the intervention. They then either rested (control group) or received one of three treatments: HT, NMES, or NMES+HT for 15 minutes. Afterward, they performed another bout of fatiguing exercise. Outcomes included ground reaction force (GRFz) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) immediately after fatiguing exercise. An ANCOVA was used to control for pre-test values as a covariate. No statistically significant effect x time or intervention were observed after controlling for peak total GRFz (pre) at p=0.16. RPE scores also did not reveal any statistical significance (p>0.05). Results showed that pre-test GRFz values (mean ± SD) were 2248.7 ± 788.19 for the control group, 2526.52 ± 703.65 for HT, 2368.86 ± 837.72 for NMES, and 2196.39 ± 560.62 for NMES+HT. Post-test values were 2051.76 ± 783.67 for the control group, 2434.29 ± 839.67 for HT, 2400.82 ± 737.62 for NMES, and 2269.94 ± 699.23 for NMES+HT. Despite the lack of statistical significance, NMES and/or HT showed potential for enhancing recovery compared to the control group, particularly in peak GRFz, indicating a potential increase in recovery efficacy for improved performance and injury prevention.

Access Type

Open Access

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