Osteopathy Treatment and Cardiovascular Recovery After a Rugby Match

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena
• Interventions: Other: Sham treatment; Other: Osteopathic manipulative treatment

• Registration Number: NCT04242485
• Lead Sponsor: University of Parma

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT), a form of non-invasive manual treatment, for a faster recovery of cardiovascular parameters after a rugby union match in professional male athletes. To this end, the effects of OMT on resting cardiovascular function and cardiovascular reactivity were evaluated in twenty-three male players 18-20 hours after a match and compared with a corresponding no-match (control) condition. Assessment of resting cardiovascular parameters 18-20 hours after a match revealed the presence of elevated mean arterial pressure and heart rate, and reduced vagally-mediated heart rate variability compared with a no-match condition. OMT provoked a significant reduction in mean arterial pressure and increased vagally-mediated heart rate variability at rest both in the after match and control conditions. Moreover, OMT favoured a larger vagal withdrawal in response to an orthostatic stress compared with a sham treatment. These results suggest that OMT may be implemented as a recovery strategy to restore athletes' cardiovascular homeostasis after a rugby union match.

Detailed Description

The presence of cardiovascular autonomic alterations in the aftermath of an intense exercise performed during a competitive match may indicate incomplete recovery and prolonged fatigue.Therefore, the implementation of effective interventions aimed at favoring a faster recovery of athletes' cardiovascular homeostasis in the aftermath of a competitive match may be beneficial for greater adaptations to subsequent training and enhanced overall performance. In this regard, osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is a form of non-invasive manual treatment that uses a set of touch, manipulation and mobilization procedures to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness or injury. In the present study, the investigators sought to explore the efficacy of a single session of OMT in restoring alterations in cardiovascular parameters at rest and in response to an orthostatic challenge in trained adult male athletes long after (18-20 hours) a rugby union match.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2017-10-01
• Primary Completion: 2018-05-01
• Study Completion: 2018-05-01
• Status Verified: 2020-01
• Study First Submitted: 2020-01-21
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-01-22
• Last Update Submitted: 2020-01-22
• Study First Posted: 2020-01-27
• Last Update Posted: 2020-01-27

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 26

Inclusion Criteria

• being healthy and injury-free
• age ≥ 18 years old
• being Caucasian
• regular participation in competitive matches of rugby union consisting of 2, 40-min halves
• regular training for an average of six hours/week during the last four weeks

Exclusion Criteria

• history of cardiovascular disease or traumatic brain injury
• chronic drug treatment
• use of any medications during the last week
• having received osteopathic manipulative treatment before

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
NO MATCH + sham treatment	Sham treatment	Players undertook a recording session the day after a resting day and received sham treatment
NO MATCH + OMT	Osteopathic manipulative treatment	Players undertook a recording session the day after a resting day and received osteopathic manipulative treatment
AFTER MATCH + OMT	Osteopathic manipulative treatment	Players undertook a recording session the day after a rugby match and received osteopathic manipulative treatment
AFTER MATCH + sham treatment	Sham treatment	Players undertook a recording session the day after a rugby match and received sham treatment

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Resting heart rate variability (RMSSD index)	ECG recorded for 5 min just after osteopathic manipulative treatment and sham treatment	Root mean square of the successive differences between adjacent heart beats (RMSSD) measured in ms
Resting heart rate variability (HF index)	ECG recorded for 5 min just after osteopathic manipulative treatment and sham treatment	High frequency (HF) component power of the RR interval spectrum measured in ms2
Resting heart rate	ECG recorded for 5 min just after osteopathic manipulative treatment and sham treatment	Mean heart rate measured as beats per minute
Resting mean arterial pressure	Assessed just after osteopathic manipulative treatment and sham treatment with a sphygmomanometer	Mean arterial pressure measured in mmHg

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Heart rate variability (RMSSD index) reactivity to orthostasis	ECG recorded for 10 min during orthostasis (5 min) and subsequent recovery (5 min)	Root mean square of the successive differences between adjacent heart beats measured in ms
Heart rate reactivity to orthostasis	ECG recorded for 10 min during orthostasis (5 min) and subsequent recovery (5 min)	Mean heart rate measured as beats per minute
Heart rate variability (HF index) reactivity to orthostasis	ECG recorded for 10 min during orthostasis (5 min) and subsequent recovery (5 min)	High frequency component power of the RR interval spectrum measured in ms2

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Collegio Italiano di Osteopatia; 🇮🇹 Parma, Italy