Hot Flashes
Conditions
Brief summary
This study investigates the effect and predictors of static stretching exercise on hot flush in women after performing 4-week stretching exercises.
Detailed description
Hot flush (HF) is the most common symptom among menopausal syndrome and can significantly affect women's quality of life. Considering the risk of hormone therapy, the behavioral therapies have been proposed for the alternative treatment of HF. However, the exercise prescription for women with HF is controversial. Previous studies show the inconsistent effect of aerobic exercise on HF, and a moderate-to-high intensity exercise seems to aggravate HF frequency and severity. Recent studies have shown that static stretching exercise could improve HF in middle-aged women, but the related research is quite few, and the physiological mechanism as well as predictors for responders who can benefit from stretching exercise are still not clear. The knowledge of predictors for responders will provide clinicians and clients with HF symptoms to choose static stretching exercise as their treatment.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALStatic stretching exercise
The intervention of this study is home-based stretching exercise. The experimental group will receive 6 stretching exercises which stretch 60 seconds for each side (left or right) of each movement, and relax for 10-20 seconds between the movements. It will take 10-15 minutes every day for continuous 4 weeks. The 6 stretching exercises include : (1) pectoral muscles + calf muscles ; (2) quadriceps ; (3) levator scapulae ; (4) gluteal muscles ; (5) hamstrings ; (6) trunk side-flexors.
Sponsors
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
20 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Age between 20-65 years old. 2. With hot flashes. 3. No current therapies such as hormone therapy, psychotropic medications, or sleeping pills for the past 6 months. 4. With ability to follow instructions of stretching exercise.
Exclusion criteria
1. SBP \>160 mmHg or DBP \>100 mmHg 2. Medical condition under investigation or unstable condition that could affect hot flashes, like thyroid disease. 3. Any medical condition limiting the ability to participate the exercise.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hot flush frequency | pre-intervention | Frequency of hot flush (time/day) |
| Hot flush score | pre-intervention | The sum of mean hot flushes multiplied by severity (mild x 1, moderate x 2, severe x 3) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Low frequency in normalized unit (LF norm) | pre-intervention | LF norm represents sympathetic nerve activity. |
| High frequency in normalized unit (HF norm) | pre-intervention | HF norm represents parasympathetic nerve activity. |
| Percentage of low frequency (LF%) | pre-intervention | LF% represents sympathetic nerve activity. |
| Percentage of high frequency (HF%) | pre-intervention | HF% represents parasympathetic nerve activity. |
| Standard deviation of NN intervals (SDNN) | pre-intervention | SDNN represents total heart rate variability. (unit: ms) |
| Muscle flexibility of upper extremities | pre-intervention | Apley's scratch test (unit: cm) |
| Muscle flexibility of lower extremities | pre-intervention | Sit-and-reach test (unit: cm) |
| Vascular endothelial function | pre-intervention | Reflective index (RI) (unit：％) |
| Hot Flush Related Daily Interference Scale (HFRDIS) | pre-intervention | Hot Flush Related Daily Interference Scale (HFRDIS), minimum value : 0, maximum value : 100, higher scores mean a worse outcome |
| LF/HF ratio (L/H ratio) | pre-intervention | L/H ratio represents autonomic nerve balance. |
| Absolute total power | pre-intervention | Absolute total power represents total activity of autonomic nervous system. (unit: ms\^2) |
Countries
Taiwan
Contacts
Primary ContactMei-Wen Tsai, Ph. D
Backup ContactI-Hsuan Lu
Outcome results
None listed