Clinical trials

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to determine whether daily Finnish dry sauna therapy attenuates the adverse cardiovascular, muscular, and metabolic effects of seven days of experimentally reduced physical activity in healthy adults. Participants will be randomized to one of three groups: (1) maintained habitual physical activity with daily sauna therapy, (2) reduced physical activity with daily room-temperature sauna visits (control), or (3) reduced physical activity with daily sauna therapy. Reduced physical activity will be achieved by decreasing daily step count to approximately 1,000 steps per day with the assistance of a power wheelchair. Outcome measures include vascular endothelial function, exercise tolerance, muscle protein synthesis, body composition, blood pressure, glucose regulation, and physiological responses to heat exposure. The study will determine whether passive heat therapy can serve as a practical intervention to preserve cardiometabolic health during short periods of reduced mobility.

The primary aims of this study are to determine the effect of percussive massage (30 min/session, 2 sessions/day, daily) during 10 days of unilateral limb immobilization on preserving muscle, vascular, and mitochondrial function. The following hypotheses will be tested: Hypothesis 1: Percussive massage will attenuate the loss of size, strength and endurance over the immobilization period compared to the control group, as measured by MRI, maximal isometric and isokinetic force production and muscle endurance test using Biodex dynamometry. Hypothesis 2: Percussive massage will attenuate the loss of vascular function and blood flow compared to the control group as measured by passive leg movement and femoral artery blood flow. Hypothesis 3: Percussive massage will attenuate the loss of skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and decrease H2O2 production during immobilization compared to the control group, as measured by high-resolution respirometry.