Reliability of Algometry in Swimming Athletes

NCT ID: NCT04697615

Last Updated: 2021-01-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 48 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-01-03
• Study Completion Date: 2020-03-16

Brief Summary

In the competitive swimming scenario, there is a significant incidence of pain, which can be justified by the high levels of training that exposes athletes to constant stress. In this way, the quantification of pain and its monitoring becomes extremely important for clinical practice. A commonly used tool with easy access and clinical applicability, capable of measuring the pain threshold (PT) in a standardized manner is the pressure algometer. However, there is a shortage in the literature of studies that evaluate the reliability of this instrument in healthy swimming athletes. Objectives: Evaluate the intra and inter-examiner reliability and to describe the profile of the PT measurements measured by the algometer in swimming athletes. Methods: It is a reliability study, and will be composed of fifty young athletes members of swimming teams, of both genders, aged between 12 and 20 years. The evaluation will be carried out on the same day and in 2 steps: (1) Test and (2) Retest. In the first step, through a third examiner, the participants will be subjected to marking of points in pre-determined muscles and in points of referred pain. Next, they will perform the PT assessment through the algometer by two other distinct and trained examiners. The interval between each examiner will be five minutes with the participant at rest. After five minutes the test was performed, the step retest will begin, which will have the same procedures as in the previous step. The statistical package SPSS Statistics 23.0 will be used to conduct the analyzes.

Conditions

Athletes

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

Algometry

In the test stage, pain threshold evaluations were started through the algometer in a randomized manner by two different examiners trained and experienced in the application of the test, following the same order of evaluation of the muscles (middle deltoid, upper trapezius, pectoralis major, biceps brachii , triceps, lumbar multifidus, rectus femoris, biceps femoris, tibialis anterior and soleus, bilaterally), with an interval between each assessment of five minutes in which the participants remained at rest. After the interval described, the retest stage was initiated, which had the same procedures as the test stage.

Algometry

Intervention Type: DEVICE

The evaluation with the algometer was carried out in the same way by the two examiners, who held the instrument with the dominant hand, in order to adjust and coordinate the movements, while the non-dominant hand was used to stabilize the participant's skin, providing more security, avoiding thus small deviations. The pressure was applied at an angle of 90 ° (between the tool surface and the evaluated point), the rate of pressure increase was approximately 2 kg / cm² / s (kilogram per centimeter squared per second), up to the level that the participant reported a change in the sensation of pressure to a sensation of discomfort and immediately the examiner removed the device from the positioned location.

Interventions

Algometry

The evaluation with the algometer was carried out in the same way by the two examiners, who held the instrument with the dominant hand, in order to adjust and coordinate the movements, while the non-dominant hand was used to stabilize the participant's skin, providing more security, avoiding thus small deviations. The pressure was applied at an angle of 90 ° (between the tool surface and the evaluated point), the rate of pressure increase was approximately 2 kg / cm² / s (kilogram per centimeter squared per second), up to the level that the participant reported a change in the sensation of pressure to a sensation of discomfort and immediately the examiner removed the device from the positioned location.

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy swimming athletes

Exclusion Criteria

• Being an alcoholic and/or consuming drugs and/or smoking;
• Anti-inflammatory and / or analgesic drugs less than 24 hours before the test;
• Presenting anemia, inflammatory process, diabetes, cardiovascular disease;
• Episodes of muscle-tendon or osteoarticular injury in the lower, upper and / or lower limbs spine in the last three months;
• In addition to swimming for less than two years.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 12 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 20 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

São Paulo State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

University of Sao Paulo State

Presidente Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil

Countries

Brazil

Other Identifiers

FIS190098

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id