Does shorter local vibration improve knee muscle function?
Official title: Less is Better? Effectiveness of a Short Local Vibration Protocol on Neuromuscular Function
Run by Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne · NCT07344298 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This trial tests whether short local vibration sessions on the knee can improve neuromuscular function in healthy adults aged 18–45.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 45 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 72 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Saint-Etienne) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | March 23, 2026 |
| Main results expected | January 22, 2028 |
| Study ends | January 22, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | March 27, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07344298 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Healthy adults aged 18–45 with BMI 18–30, without chronic cardiovascular, neuromuscular, metabolic, or inflammatory conditions, no recent lower-limb injury, and not taking neuroactive drugs or recent corticosteroids.
✕Probably not a fit
People with chronic cardiovascular, neuromuscular, metabolic, or inflammatory diseases, a history or risk of thrombosis, recent lower-limb trauma, or those on neuroactive or recent corticosteroid medications are unlikely to benefit or be eligible.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Researchers are comparing four local vibration schedules targeting the knee extensors in healthy volunteers. Two schedules concentrate sessions over five consecutive days (each day either 30 or 60 minutes), and two spread the same session lengths across four weeks with three sessions per week. Participants will undergo neuromuscular testing before and after the interventions to measure changes in muscle strength and nervous-system responses. The trial aims to determine whether intensive short-term application produces similar or better neuromuscular gains than longer, distributed protocols.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could identify shorter, effective vibration regimens that speed recovery of muscle strength in patients with motor deficits or immobilization.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies, including the investigators' own, have shown multi-week vibration protocols can increase knee extensor strength, but short intensive protocols are less well tested and results are mixed.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Men and women, * Aged between 18 and 45, * With a body mass index between 18 and 30 kg/m², * Who have received detailed information about the study and have co-signed the consent form with the investigator, * Who are affiliated with or entitled to social security coverage. Exclusion Criteria: * Subjects with chronic cardiovascular, neuromuscular, bone, metabolic, and/or inflammatory conditions, * Personal history and/or risk factors for thrombosis, * Subjects undergoing antidepressant treatment, * Subjects who have taken corticosteroid treatment in the last 3 months, * Use of neuroactive substances likely to alter corticospinal excitability (hypnotics, antiepileptics, psychotropic drugs, muscle relaxants) during the study period, * History of bone or ligament trauma to the lower limbs within the last 12 months, * Unable to perform the physical efforts required for the study, * Engaging in intense and unusual physical activity, including competitive sports, in the month preceding and during the protocol, * Presence of a skin lesion at the site where the vibrator is to be placed, * Simultaneous participation in another interventional medical trial, * Pregnant and breastfeeding women * Subjects unable to understand the purpose and conditions of the study, unable to give their consent, * Subjects deprived of their liberty or subject to legal protection such as guardianship
Where it's running
-
CHU de Saint-Etienne
Saint-Etienne, France Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Léonard FEASSON, MD, PhD — CHU de Saint Etienne
- Study coordinator: Léonard FEASSON, MD, PhD
- Email: leonard.feasson@chu-st-etienne.fr
- Phone: (0)477120383
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.