---
title: Massage and Cold Water Immersion on Movement Variability After Fatigue in Swimmers
nct_id: NCT04541901
overall_status: COMPLETED
phase: NA
sponsor: Flávia Carvalho
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
primary_condition: Movement Disorders
countries: Brazil
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT04541901.md"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04541901"
ct_last_update_post_date: 2024-11-05
last_seen_at: "2026-05-12T07:15:41.613Z"
source: ClinicalTrials.gov (mirrored, no enrichment)
---
# Massage and Cold Water Immersion on Movement Variability After Fatigue in Swimmers

**Official Title:** Effects of Post Exercise Massage and Cold-water Immersion on Movement Variability After Fatigue in Swimmers: a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

**NCT ID:** [NCT04541901](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04541901)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** COMPLETED
- **Phase:** NA
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Target Enrollment:** 22
- **Lead Sponsor:** Flávia Carvalho
- **Collaborators:** Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, São Paulo State University
- **Conditions:** Movement Disorders, Muscle Tone, Perceived Exertion
- **Start Date:** 2023-03-06
- **Completion Date:** 2023-09-30
- **CT.gov Last Update:** 2024-11-05

## Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the effectiveness of post-exercise massage and cold-water immersion compared to control in young elite swimmers. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Is post-exercise techniques effective for recovery of the movement variability, , myotonometric, ergometric and perceptive parameters after fatigue?
* Can neuromuscular fatigue protocols impair movement variability, myotonometric, ergometric and perceptive parameters?
* What tests are reliable to assess different aspects of swimmers' recovery?

Researchers will compare massage and cold-water immersion to control and to each other to see if recovery is antecipated. They will also compare an in-water and an out-of-water fatigue protocol to see if they are effective and can be used in different settings.

Participants will:

* Perform test and retest sessions to assess movement variability, myotonometric, ergometric and perceptive parameters.
* Perform an in-water fatigue protocol consisting of 8x100m front-crawl sprints
* Receive three recovery strategies in a randomized order (massage, cold-water immersion and control (i.e. rest)
* Answer a questionnaire regarding ther beliefs and preferences for recovery.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 15 Years
- **Maximum age:** 30 Years
- **Sex:** ALL
- **Healthy Volunteers:** Yes

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* male and female athletes
* between 15 and 30 years old
* no injury over the last month (any complaint that prevented the athlete from training or compete at least once)

Exclusion Criteria:

* use of pain killers at least 24h before study participation
```

## Arms

- **Massage** (EXPERIMENTAL) — 12 minutes of effleurage and petrissage on the upper limbs administered after fatiguing exercise in the swimming pool
- **Cold-water immersion** (EXPERIMENTAL) — 12 minutes of cold-water immersion at the shoulder level with water temperature between 11 to 15°C
- **Control** (NO_INTERVENTION) — 12 minutes of rest. The athletes are free to sit or walk around the place but are advised to refrain from exercise in and out of the pool.

## Interventions

- **Massage** (OTHER) — 12 minutes of effleurage and petrissage on the upper limbs
- **Cold water immersion** (OTHER) — 12 minutes of cold water immersion at the shoulder level with water temperature between 11 to 15°C

## Primary Outcomes

- **Movement variability** _(time frame: From enrollment to the end of crossover treatments at 6 weeks)_ — Obtained from time series of biomechanical data expressed as degrees of shoulder and elbow flexion, and ergometric variables (i.e. pace, stroke frequency and average power) executed during a simulated out of water swim ergometric test to understand the impacts of fatigue on movement and explore changes during recovery. Measured at baseline, post-fatigue and post-interventions.

Joint angles time series of shoulder and elbow flexion and ergometric variables were aggregated using mean, standard deviation and variation coefficients for data analyses.

## Secondary Outcomes

- **Swim-related perceptions** _(time frame: From enrollment to the end of crossover treatments at 6 weeks)_
- **Myotonometry** _(time frame: From enrollment to the end of crossover treatments at 6 weeks)_
- **Skin temperature** _(time frame: From week 4 to 6)_
- **Beliefs in the recovery techniques** _(time frame: Week 6)_
- **Preference** _(time frame: Week 6)_
- **Sense of position** _(time frame: From enrollment to the end of crossover treatments at 6 weeks)_

## Locations (1)

- Faculty of Science and Technology (UNESP), Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil

## Recent Field Changes (last 30 days)

- `eligibility.sex` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.overallStatus` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.primaryCompletionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.completionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.lastUpdatePostDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.phases` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.enrollmentCount` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.criteria` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.minAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.maxAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.primary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.secondary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.arms` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.interventions` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.lead` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.collaborators` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `results.hasResults` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `locations.faculty of science and technology (unesp)|presidente prudente|são paulo|brazil` — added _(2026-05-12)_

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT04541901.md*  
*Source data (authoritative): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04541901*  
*This page is a raw mirror with no AI summary, no editorial enrichment, and no Parkinson's-specific filtering.*