Intermittent Sequential Pneumatic Compression (ISPC) has gained popularity as a recovery modality among athletes, particularly in cycling. This study, published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a 30-minute high-pressure ISPC intervention compared to a sham condition on the recovery of high-level road cyclists following a 30-minute all-out time trial on a stationary trainer.
The trial involved 21 male participants, with an average age of 22.8 years. The recovery protocol sequence was randomly assigned to each participant, ensuring a crossover design. The researchers collected various measures, including isometric knee extension, cycling performance during a 4-minute time trial, quadriceps low-frequency fatigue, and biochemical markers such as creatine kinase. Subjective measures of fatigue, recovery, and muscle soreness were also assessed at baseline, one hour post-intervention, and at 24 and 48 hours.
Results
The findings indicated that ISPC provided benefits in perceptions of recovery, muscle soreness, and fatigue. Additionally, improvements were noted in low-frequency fatigue scores and maximal voluntary contraction of knee extension. However, these subjective and neuromuscular recovery markers did not translate into enhanced performance in subsequent time trials conducted 24 hours later, as indicated by a non-significant performance difference (P = .18).
Moreover, the study found no relevant increase in creatine kinase activity following the fatigue protocol, suggesting that while ISPC may aid in acute recovery perceptions, it does not necessarily lead to improved physical performance in short-duration cycling efforts.
What this study does not show
This study does not demonstrate that ISPC leads to improved performance outcomes in subsequent cycling efforts, despite its positive effects on recovery markers.
Evidence scorecard
- Analytic validity: established
- Clinical validity: established
- Clinical utility: partial
The evidence class is human_rct, indicating that the study was a randomized controlled trial involving human participants.