Blood Flow Restriction Training for Age-Related Sarcopenia

NCT ID: NCT06986395

Last Updated: 2025-05-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 40 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-05-31
• Study Completion Date: 2025-09-10

Brief Summary

Brief Title: Safe Exercise for Age-Related Muscle Loss in Hospitalized Seniors

Summary:

This study compares two exercise methods to help older hospital patients (age 65+) rebuild muscle strength after being diagnosed with sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). We want to know if using special pressure cuffs during light exercise works better than traditional strength training alone.

Who Can Join:

Hospitalized seniors with stable health conditions Excludes those with severe disabilities, dementia, or certain blood circulation problems

What We'll Do:

40 participants will be randomly assigned to either:

Traditional Training Group:

Uses weights/bands at 65-75% max capacity Arm/leg exercises 3x/week for 4 weeks

Pressure Cuff Training Group:

Uses special cuffs on arms/thighs during lighter exercises (20% max capacity) Same exercise frequency with controlled pressure for safety

What We'll Measure:

Handgrip strength (main test at 0/4/12 weeks) Walking speed, balance tests, quality of life surveys Any side effects like dizziness/nausea

Safety First:

Doctors will check your health before starting. Nurses will monitor every session. We use medical-grade cuffs with safe pressure limits (arm: 80-100mmHg, thigh: 150-200mmHg). You can stop anytime if uncomfortable.

Why This Matters:

This could help hospitalized seniors regain strength faster using gentler exercises. All activities are supervised by rehabilitation specialists at West China Hospital, with ethics committee approval (IRB number required).

Conditions

Sarcopenia in Elderly

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

BFRT Group

"Blood flow restriction training with 20% 1RM loading, pneumatic cuff pressure 80-100mmHg (arms)

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFRT)

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Standard progressive resistance exercise at 65-75% 1RM intensity using weights/elastic bands

CRT Group

Conventional resistance training at 65-75% 1RM intensity using weights/elastic bands, matched frequency/duration

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Conventional Resistance Training (CRT)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Standard progressive resistance exercise at 65-75% 1RM intensity using weights/elastic bands

Interventions

Blood Flow Restriction Training (BFRT)

Standard progressive resistance exercise at 65-75% 1RM intensity using weights/elastic bands

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Conventional Resistance Training (CRT)

Standard progressive resistance exercise at 65-75% 1RM intensity using weights/elastic bands

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Hospitalized patients aged ≥65 years
• Diagnosed with sarcopenia per EWGSOP2019 criteria
• Acute medical conditions stabilized for ≥4 weeks (e.g., resolved infections, controlled heart failure)

Exclusion Criteria

• Severe disability (Barthel Index ≤40)
• Significant cognitive impairment (MMSE ≤18) or major psychiatric disorders (DSM-5 criteria)
• Contraindications to blood flow restriction training:

• History/predisposition to deep vein thrombosis
• Coagulopathy (INR >1.5, platelets <100×10⁹/L)
• Symptomatic varicose veins (CEAP class C4-C6)
• Uncontrolled hypertension (BP >160/100 mmHg)
• Chronic lymphedema (ISL stage II-III)
• Peripheral artery disease (ABI ≤0.7)
• Active systemic infection (CRP >10 mg/L)
• Malignancy (except non-melanoma skin cancer)
• Severe renal impairment (eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73m²)
• Acute coronary syndrome within 3 months

• Minimum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 100 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

West China Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Yuxiang Liang

Physiotherapist-in-Charge

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Central Contacts

yu liang

Role: CONTACT

1536569213@qq.com

+86 13982250862

Other Identifiers

20241201

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id