Research summary · Recovery and rehabilitation
Do recovery treatments outperform passive rest?
This review compares physical recovery treatments with passive recovery in competitive endurance athletes.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Systematic review and network meta-analysis
- Journal
- Frontiers in Sports and Active Living
- Population / context
- Competitive and elite endurance sport
What the publication reports
Sixteen randomized trials included 273 participants; 14 entered the network analysis. There was no convincing, robust advantage for the assessed modalities across soreness, creatine kinase and performance outcomes.
Limits and interpretation
Most comparisons had low or very low certainty. Small networks, varied protocols and limited blinding restrict confidence. Failure to detect benefit does not establish that every recovery technique is ineffective.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Physical recovery modalities in competitive and elite endurance athletes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis finding limited evidence of benefit over passive recovery
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42683395DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2026.1876924Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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