COPD, Muscle Weakness
Conditions
Keywords
blood flow restriction training, pulmonary rehabilitation, COPD, muscle weakness
Brief summary
Peripheral muscle weakness is a predominant problem in patients with COPD and treated using exercise training in pulmonary rehabilitation. Despite pulmonary rehabilitation being an effective intervention, muscle strength impairment is a persisting problem in COPD patients. Patients have problems to tolerate the high training loads, which are necessary to develop strength. Low-load blood flow restriction training (LL-BFRT) might therefore be an option to enhance muscular response of patients with COPD to strength training. Up to now, no studies investigating LL-BFRT in respiratory diseases are available. The primary outcome of this randomized pilot study is knee extensor muscle strength. Secondary, the study will evaluate if LL-BFRT is well tolerated and feasible in COPD patients attending outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation.
Interventions
The intervention group will perform the exercises of the lower limbs using LL-BFRT with an occlusion pressure of 70% of arterial occlusion pressure with low training loads (30% of the 1 repetition maximum).
OTHERUsual outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation
The control group will perform outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation as established.
Sponsors
University of Zurich
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Diagnosed COPD according to GOLD-guidelines * Assigned to outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation by the treating physician
Exclusion criteria
* Physical or intellectual impairment precluding informed consent or protocol adherence * Non-German speaking (precluding informed consent) * Acute or recent (within the last 6 weeks) exacerbation of COPD * Attending a pulmonary rehabilitation program within the last 3 months * Pregnant patients * History of thromboembolic event in the lower extremity * Diagnosis of polyneuropathy * Resting systolic blood pressure \<100 mmHg
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Knee extensor strength | during 12 weeks (24 exercise sessions) | Between-group difference in total change in isometric muscle strength of the knee extensor muscles, measured by handheld dynamometry in newtonmeter |
Countries
Switzerland
Outcome results
None listed