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.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants are blinded to the specific intervention condition of each session (100 Hz active stationary vibration vs. 100 Hz active wearable vibration vs. 15 Hz subminimal sham stimulation). The sham stimulation is designed to mimic the acoustic noise and physical presence of the active wearable device but at a non-therapeutic frequency. Additionally, during all cycling blocks, the cycle ergometer monitor and feedback screens are covered. This ensures participants remain completely blinded to their real-time performance metrics (power output, cadence, and time), forcing them to regulate their effort solely based on internal, subjective perception (Borg CR100 scale). Complete investigator blinding is not possible due to the distinct physical setups of the stationary shaker and the wearable sleeve.
Participants receive muscle vibration delivered via wearable Tendo 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 "booster" stimulation administered dynamically during movement midway through the cycling protocol to sustain the neurophysiological Tonic Vibration Reflex (TVR).
Participants receive focal muscle vibration delivered via alabpooratory 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).
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 device 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.
Wroclaw, Lower Silesian Voivodeship 50-370, Poland
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