Intermittent Sequential Pneumatic Compression (ISPC) has become a popular recovery method among athletes, particularly in high-performance cycling. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a 30-minute high-pressure ISPC intervention compared to a sham condition on the recovery of trained cyclists following a strenuous time trial.
The randomized controlled trial involved twenty-one male cyclists, with an average age of 22.8 years. The participants underwent a crossover design, where they experienced both the ISPC and sham interventions in a random sequence. Various recovery markers were measured, including isometric knee extension, cycling performance during a 4-minute time trial, quadriceps low-frequency fatigue, and subjective assessments of fatigue and muscle soreness.
Results
The findings indicated that ISPC provided benefits in subjective recovery perceptions, muscle soreness, and fatigue levels. Specifically, improvements were noted in low-frequency fatigue scores and maximal voluntary contraction of knee extension (P < .05). However, these subjective improvements did not translate into enhanced performance in subsequent time trials conducted 24 hours later (P = .18). Additionally, no significant increase in creatine kinase activity was observed following the fatigue protocol.
In conclusion, while ISPC appears to enhance acute subjective and neuromuscular recovery markers following a strenuous cycling effort, it does not confer a performance advantage in short-duration cycling trials conducted 24 hours post-intervention. Nevertheless, the use of ISPC may still be justified for its potential to accelerate perceptual and neuromuscular recovery in high-level cyclists.
What this study does not show
This study does not demonstrate that ISPC improves cycling performance in trained athletes after a 24-hour recovery period.
Evidence scorecard
- Analytic validity: Established
- Clinical validity: Established
- Clinical utility: Partial
The evidence is based on a randomized controlled trial involving human participants.