Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Maureen Dunn, Kinesiology
Document Type
Poster
Event Date
4-12-2024
Abstract
Swimming is a sport that often requires multiple events to be completed in a short-time frame. Breaks between races have the potential to negatively impact subsequent performances, causing athletes to resort to out-of-water warm-up methods. To date, no research has been conducted to determine the effectiveness of using a percussive massage gun (PMG) as a warm-up tool between races. This study evaluated percussive massage and dynamic stretching (DS) as a warm-up by determining impact on completion time between two 100-y freestyle sprints compared to passive recovery (NT) in collegiate swimmers. It was hypothesized that PMG and DS would lead to a significant decrease in completion time compared to NT, and that PMG would elicit the greatest decrease in completion time overall. Over three sessions, participants (n=12) were counterbalanced across interventions, receiving the treatment between two sprints. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, no significant differences were noted when comparing completion times before and after treatment (p= 0.78). DS was the only intervention that led to decreased times post-treatment (pre: 57.33±1.30 sec, post: 56.97±1.33 sec), but this difference was not considered significant. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was assessed immediately after each swim and was significantly different between the 1st and 2nd swims in the PMG condition (pre: 17.25±0.35, post: 16.08±0.45, p= 0.004). In addition, a visual analog scale (VAS) determined that subjective discomfort prior to the second swim was lower following PMG compared to DS (PMG: 21.22±6.05 mm, DS: 41.59±5.16 mm, p= 0.048). The results suggest that although the athletes didn’t swim faster, they felt better with PMG use. However, there is minimal support that PMG as a warm-up technique has any significant impact on improvement in swim times compared to other methods.
Recommended Citation
Repository citation: Kievit, Madeline; Raymond, Madison; Salazar, Elena; and Tessin, Madeline, "Percussive Massage and Dynamic Stretching as a Between-Race Warm up for Collegiate Swimmers" (2024). 23rd Annual A. Paul and Carol C. Schaap Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2024). Paper 73.
https://digitalcommons.hope.edu/curca_23/73
April 12, 2024. Copyright © 2024 Hope College, Holland, Michigan.
Comments
This project was funded by the Hope Kinesiology Department
Title on poster differs from abstract booklet. Poster title: Effects of a Percussive Massage and Dynamic Stretching Warm-up on Completion Times Between Two 100-yard Freestyle Sprints in Collegiate Swimmers