Neural Mobilization After Upper Extremity Fatigue in Amateur Athletes

NCT07682103 — Not applicable, Completed, 45 participants, Uludag University

ClinicalTrials Daily · Areas · Conditions · Drugs · Sponsors ·

Acute Effects of Neural Mobilization After Physical Fatigue on Upper Extremity Performance and Hand-Eye Coordination in Amateur Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Registry	NCT07682103
Status	Completed
Phase	Not applicable
Study type	Interventional; randomized, parallel, masking: single, other
Enrollment	45 (Actual)
Sponsor	Uludag University (Other)
Conditions	Exercise-Induced Upper Extremity Fatigue, Hand-Eye Coordination, Athletic Performance
Interventions	Neural Mobilization, Dynamic Stretching (Other)
Dates	start 2025-12-19, primary completion 2026-05-28, completion 2026-05-29, first posted 2026-07-02, last updated 2026-07-02
Locations	1 site in Turkey (Türkiye)

-Summary

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the acute effects of neural mobilization and dynamic stretching after upper extremity fatigue on upper extremity performance and hand-eye coordination in amateur athletes. Participants were amateur athletes aged 18 to 25 years who regularly participated in sports involving active use of the upper extremity. After baseline assessment, all participants completed a standardized upper extremity fatigue protocol. They were then randomly allocated to one of three groups: neural mobilization, dynamic stretching, or passive rest. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, immediately after fatigue, and after the assigned recovery intervention or rest period. The study aimed to determine whether active recovery strategies, particularly neural mobilization, provide greater short-term recovery of upper extremity performance and hand-eye coordination compared with passive rest.

Expand all sections · Collapse all

+Arms and interventions

Arm	Type	Interventions	Description
Neural Mobilization	Experimental	Other: Neural Mobilization	Participants assigned to this arm received upper extremity neural mobilization after completion of the standardized upper extremity fatigue protocol. Neural mobilization techniques targeted the median, radial, and ulnar nerves and were applied during the recovery period before post-intervention outcome assessment.
Dynamic Stretching	Experimental	Other: Dynamic Stretching	Participants assigned to this arm performed a structured dynamic stretching protocol after completion of the standardized upper extremity fatigue protocol. The protocol included dynamic upper and lower body movements performed during the recovery period before post-intervention outcome assessment.
Control	No intervention		Participants assigned to this control arm rested passively after completion of the standardized upper extremity fatigue protocol. No active recovery intervention was administered during the recovery period before post-intervention outcome assessment.

Neural Mobilization (Other): Upper extremity neural mobilization was applied after the standardized fatigue protocol. The intervention targeted the median, radial, and ulnar nerves using non-painful mobilization techniques. Each technique was performed for 2 sets of 20 repetitions, with each repetition lasting approximately 1 to 3 seconds
Dynamic Stretching (Other): A structured dynamic stretching protocol was performed after the standardized fatigue protocol. The protocol lasted approximately 10 minutes and included dynamic upper extremity and whole-body movements such as arm swings, arm crossovers, walking lunges with trunk rotation, lateral shuffling, heel kicks, inchworms, and modified shuttle movements.

+Outcome measures

Primary outcomes

Alternate Hand Wall Toss Test [Baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and after the 15-minute recovery period]: Hand-eye coordination was assessed using the Alternate Hand Wall Toss Test. Participants stood 2 meters from a wall and repeatedly threw a ball against the wall, catching it with the opposite hand. The number of successful catches completed within 30 seconds was recorded. Higher scores indicate better hand-eye coordination performance.
Upper Quarter Y Balance Test [Baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and after the 15-minute recovery period]: Upper quarter dynamic balance was assessed using the Upper Quarter Y Balance Test. Participants maintained a push-up position and reached with the free hand in the medial, superolateral, and inferolateral directions. Reach distances were recorded and used to calculate a composite score normalized to upper limb length. Higher scores indicate better upper quarter dynamic balance performance.

Secondary outcomes

Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test [Baseline, immediately after the fatigue protocol, and after the 15-minute recovery period]: Upper extremity functional performance was assessed using the Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test. Participants performed alternating hand touches across two marked lines while maintaining a push-up position. The number of touches completed within 15 seconds was recorded. Higher scores indicate better upper extremity functional performance.

+Eligibility

Sex: All, ages: 18 Years to 25 Years, accepts healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

* Aged between 18 and 25 years
* Amateur athlete participating in a sport requiring active use of the upper extremity, such as basketball, volleyball, tennis, or table tennis
* Able to understand and perform the fatigue protocol, recovery intervention, and outcome assessments
* Volunteered to participate and provided written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Current upper extremity, cervical, or trunk pain or injury that could affect test performance
* History of upper extremity surgery, fracture, or major musculoskeletal trauma that could limit participation
* Neurological, vestibular, or systemic condition affecting upper extremity function, balance, coordination, or exercise tolerance
* Any cardiovascular, respiratory, or medical condition contraindicating participation in fatiguing upper extremity exercise
* Inability to complete the fatigue protocol or outcome assessments safely

+Locations (1)

Facility	City	Country	Status
Hatay Mustafa Kemal University	Hatay, Antakya	Turkey (Türkiye)

+Publications

Kim MK, Cha HG, Ji SG. The initial effects of an upper extremity neural mobilization technique on muscle fatigue and pressure pain threshold of healthy adults: a randomized control trial. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016 Mar;28(3):743-6. doi: 10.1589/jpts.28.743. Epub 2016 Mar 31. PMID 27134351
Hodgetts CJ, McLeish T, Thomas E, Walker BF. Association Between Chiropractic Students' Hand-Eye Coordination or General Self-efficacy and Their Performance on a Spinal Manipulative Therapy Examination: A Cross-sectional Study. J Chiropr Med. 2021 Dec;20(4):183-190. doi: 10.1016/j.jcm.2021.12.011. Epub 2022 Apr 6. PMID 35496722
Dupuis F, Sole G, Mercier C, Roy JS. Impact of fatigue at the shoulder on the contralateral upper limb kinematics and performance. PLoS One. 2022 Apr 1;17(4):e0266370. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266370. eCollection 2022. PMID 35363812