This is a two-group randomized clinical trial (includes an experimental and a placebo group) to verify the effects of the Myofascial Reorganization (RMF) compared to the placebo-RMF technique on running performance and thermographic, biomechanical, and viscoelastic proprieties of lower limbs of male triathletes. Data collection will be carried out one week before the first intervention session, and one week after the last intervention session. Anthropometric characteristics (height and weight), lower limbs, and biomechanical, viscoelastic, and thermographic properties will be collected before any exercise tests. After this, the athlete will be submitted to: a 10-minute protocol to verify running economy on the treadmill, followed by an incremental test on the treadmill, and a time to exhaustion test. Evaluation procedures will carried out one week before (0 weeks) and one week after (7th week) the experimental/placebo intervention. Intervention sessions will occur during six weeks, twice a week, each session lasting up to 30 minutes.
Athletes
Age between 18 and 45 years
2 years of competitive experience
Non-smokers
Not accomplishing 83,3% (10 of 12 sessions) of the proposed experimental/placebo protocol
Not presenting themselves on the re-test day
Developing a lower limb musculoskeletal injury during the study's ongoing period.
Developing a back injury during the study's ongoing period?
Parallel
Myofascial Reorganization
Other interventionIt is a manual technique in which the therapist applies a manual sustained oblique load of 45° with subsequent shear load. In general, the technique is divided into two stages, the first when the oblique load is accompanied by a passive shear load (applied by the therapist) during 1minute, and the second stage, when the shear oblique manual load is maintained but the shear load provoked by the participants' active movement (active shear load) during 1minute.
PLACEBO Myofascial Reorganization
Other interventionit is light touch to the skin applied by the therapist, without provoking compression, or any constant or shear load during the fist minute. In the second minute, the participant adds active movements to the light touch. This two stage (each one during 1minute) is constructed to mimic the passive and the active stages of the real myofascial reorganization technique.
Running Economy
the volume consumption of oxygen (VO2) required at a common velocity under the first lactate threshold in milliliters per minute per kilogram (mL.min-1.Kg-1).
Maximal volume consumption of oxygen
The maximal volume consumption of oxygen (VO2max) in milliliters per minute per kilogram (mL.min-1.Kg-1) will be determined as the highest value reached in the last stage plotted employing means of 15 seconds.
Time to Exhaustion
Time to volitional exhaustion during the Time to Exhaustion Test, running at 100% of the last velocity reached in the incremental test, in minutes and seconds.
Maximal velocity
maximal velocity derived from the incremental graded test
State of tension: F - Frequency or TONE
Frequency of natural oscillation in Hz, characterized as TONE or state of tension;
Dynamic Stiffness (N/m);
the force (in Nelton) required to deform a meter of area
D -logarithmic decrement
characterized as ELASTICITY or dissipation of the natural oscillation (arbitrary units);
R- Relaxation time
the time to relaxation after mechanical stress (ms)
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