Effects of Ozone Therapy on Muscle Damage

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the effectiveness of different ozone therapy methods in enhancing recovery after muscle-damaging exercise in healthy adults, and to evaluate their impact on biochemical markers of muscle damage and fatigue. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Do ozone-based interventions accelerate recovery by reducing biochemical markers of muscle damage and fatigue following eccentric exercise? * Which ozone therapy modality provides the greatest recovery benefit? Researchers will compare three intervention groups (autohemotherapy, ozone sauna therapy, and ozonated lavender oil massage) with a control group receiving no treatment. Participants will: * Complete a standardized eccentric exercise protocol designed to induce muscle damage * Receive one of the assigned interventions or no treatment (control) * Provide blood samples at multiple time points (baseline, post-exercise, post-intervention, and 24, 48, and 72 hours follow-up) to assess recovery- related biomarkers

This randomized controlled trial was designed to investigate the effects of different ozone therapy modalities on recovery following eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage in healthy male amateur collegiate football players aged 18-30 years. Thirty-two participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: autohemotherapy, ozone sauna therapy, ozonated lavender oil massage, or a no-intervention control group (n = 8 per group). All participants completed a standardized eccentric exercise protocol to induce muscle damage and fatigue. Following exercise, participants in the intervention groups received a single session of their assigned treatment, while the control group remained at rest without any recovery intervention. Autohemotherapy involved withdrawal of venous blood, exposure to an oxygen-ozone mixture, and reinfusion. Ozone sauna therapy was applied in a sealed cabin under controlled conditions with measures to prevent inhalation. Ozonated lavender oil massage was administered to the lower extremities using standardized massage techniques. Blood samples were collected at baseline, immediately post-exercise, post-intervention, and at 24, 48, and 72 hours after intervention. Serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and uric acid (UA) were analyzed as indicators of muscle damage and metabolic stress. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) to assess group, time, and group × time interaction effects.