Improvement of athletic performance with haptics: results of the POWER-UP Trial

Adult athletic performance in most sports relies on adequate muscle tone, strength, flexibility, and movement coordination. Neuromuscular training to improve athletic performance has been embraced in athletic programs aimed at aiding college athletes seeking a future professional sports career or high achievement in national/international athletic competitions. Since strength, power, and endurance are essential attributes for athletes playing sports, the aim of this study was to assess whether the use of haptic patch technology could improve muscular strength, power, and endurance.

Healthy college athletes aged 18-30 (N.=70; 30 males and 40 females) were randomized and enrolled as research participants in this blinded treatment versus placebo study. While 34 subjects initially received the active patch (VICTORY patch), 36 initially received a non-active patch that appeared identical to the active patch. After each group completed their study ARM, they crossed over to the other group, and received either an active or non-active placebo patch. Standard neuromuscular performance evaluative methods were used to acquire the data. This included obtaining measurements for neuromuscular changes in specified muscle groups through strength testing, and measurements pertaining to complex neuromuscular pattern performance. Neuromuscular data and comparative results for such aspects as peak power, concentric peak force, jump height, and knee extension/flexion was collected at a baseline; then retested after 1-24 hrs of patch use; then at 7-10 days a new baseline without a patch testing was completed with a repeat after 1-24 hrs of patch use. Descriptive statistical methods included the Shapiro-Wilk test, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, Mann-Whitney U Tests, and Spearman's rank correlation were used for data analysis. Data analysis was also performed to compare results between the active patch group and placebo patch group.

Results showed that participants receiving the active patch demonstrated greatest improvement at 70-80 min of patch use, and the active patch group showed statistically significant improvements in the evaluated neuromuscular attributes in knee extension and knee flexion than the placebo patch group.

Incorporating haptic patch use in college athlete and other young adult athlete training programs aimed at improved neuromuscular functioning may be beneficial to improved athletic performance. Haptic patch use within an athletic training program may be an especially useful strategy in athletes who sustained minor injuries preventing participation in their usual daily training regimen to recover lost strength, power, or endurance, as well as college athletes who are attempting to achieve improved performance toward a goal of future professional or nationally-competitive sport play.