Nerve flossing for athletes: a simple technique that could keep hamstrings strong?
NCT ID NCT07721220
First seen Jul 22, 2026 · Last updated Jul 23, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether three types of nerve-gliding exercises — called neurodynamics — can improve hamstring strength and endurance in athletes aged 18 to 30 who play organized sports or train regularly. The exercises aim to improve nerve mobility and reduce pain, and the study measures their immediate effect on muscle performance. Results could help physical therapists choose better treatments for hamstring and sciatic nerve issues.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- nerve-gliding exercises (neurodynamic techniques: sciatic slider, sciatic tensioner, and mechanically loaded neurodynamic sciatic floss)
- What this could lead to
- If effective, these simple nerve-gliding exercises could help physical therapists better prevent hamstring injuries and maintain strength in athletes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 45 participants, and the effects are measured immediately after a single session — so any benefits may be short-lived or not apply to real-world training.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 45 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 30 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participants must be between 18 and 30 years of age. * Must be able to read, understand, and provide informed consent, in English. * Must be currently participating in an organized sport (e.g. collegiate, club, or competitive recreational level) or engaging in structured resistance training and athletic conditioning for recreational sports events (e.g 5k, marathon, Crossfit, Hyrox, etc). * Medically stable with no known contraindications to physical exertion. * Cleared for participation in strength or maximal-effort isometric testing. * Be able to perform lower extremity isometric testing without pain that limits maximal effort. * Must have 2 lower extremities capable to producing full range knee flexion and extension range of motion. * No medical condition that significantly alters lower extremity neuromuscular performance. * No history of lower extremity surgery in the past 12 months. Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals younger than 18 or older than 30. * Acute lower extremity injury in the last 12 weeks. * Lower extremity surgery within the last 12 months. * Pain in either lower extremity that would limit maximal physical exertion. * History of neurological disorders, including but not limited to: Neuropathy, Stoke, MS, Parkinson's Disease, etc. * Use of medications that significantly impact neuromuscular performance, strength or fatigue. * No supplementation that affects neuromuscular performance, strength, or fatigue. * Unable to read and understand English. * Not in a vulnerable population: Pregnant, mentally or physically challenged, cognitively impaired.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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High Point University
RECRUITINGHigh Point, North Carolina, 27268, United States
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