THE EFFECT OF PERCUSSION ON MUSCLE ENDURANCE AMONG STUDENT ATHLETES

Abstract

Aim: this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of percussion for muscle recovery following short-term physical training. Materials and methods. A pilot clinical study was conducted involving 40 (100%) 2nd to 6th-year medical students of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University with ice hockey skills. Participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group (n = 20, 50.0%) received percussion massage to calf muscles following short-term isometric exercise, and a control group (n = 20, 50.0%) received passive recovery. Muscle recovery was assessed through maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and range of motion (ROM). Results. The experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant 14.8% improvement in MVC compared to the control group (p < 0.001). In the experimental group, subjective reports indicated an 18.7% increase in delayed onset muscle soreness compared to the control group (p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were observed in ROM values between the two groups (p = 0.695). Conclusion. Percussion therapy emerges as a novel and potentially effective intervention for performance enhancement both in competition and during training sessions. While the fin­dings of this pilot study are quite contradictory with respect to prior research, they suggest promising applications for post-recovery exercise, underscoring the need for further protocol standardization.