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Blood Flow Restriction Training in Individuals Awaiting Total Knee Replacement

Feasibility of Prehabilitation Blood-flow Restriction Training in Individuals Awaiting Total Knee Replacement.

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06111690
Enrollment
16
Registered
2023-11-01
Start date
2022-09-23
Completion date
2024-12-02
Last updated
2026-03-24

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Knee Osteoarthritis

Keywords

Blood flow restriction training (BFRT), Preoperative exercise, Muscle function, Physical activity

Brief summary

The aim is to demonstrate that preoperative exercises (pre-habilitation) using blood-flow restriction training (BFRT) is safe, well tolerated, improves muscle function, decreases functional limitation, and increases physical activity in older adults awaiting total knee replacement (TKR).

Detailed description

Twenty individuals ≥60 years old awaiting TKR due to diagnosis of end-stage knee osteoarthritis who meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria will be invited to participate in a 6 weeks of low-intensity BFRT prehabilitation. We will assess muscle functional (i.e., cross-sectional area and intramuscular fatty content) using computerized tomography, quadriceps muscle strength using an isokinetic dynamometer, a battery of performance-based physical function, self-reported physical function and quality of life, and biomarkers of inflammation using blood serum. Feasibility assessment will be done by looking at safety (i.e., adverse events), compliance, and attrition rate.

Interventions

Participants will be performing low-resistance exercise with (BFRT). Intervention will start at least seven days after initial evaluation, so it does not influence measures of real-time physical activity. We will use a log to register exercise completion and to record bilateral knee pain before, during and after each intervention session

Sponsors

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Lead SponsorOTHER
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
CollaboratorNIH

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

This is a single group pre-post design study

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Participants are awaiting primary unilateral TKR due to diagnosis of end-stage KOA. Potential individuals must have at least 8 weeks waiting time in between study baseline assessment and surgery. This 8-week timeframe will allow for completion of baseline (T0) and follow-up assessments (T1: immediately after 6-week prehabilitation program); 2. are older than 60 years; 3. speak fluent English to reliably complete the study questionnaires and understand study instructions.

Exclusion criteria

1. have a history of cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension (blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg), deep-vein thrombosis, varicose veins, or rhabdomyolysis; 2. have absolute contraindications to exercise, as established by the American College of Sports Medicine (uncontrolled arrhythmias, third degree heart block, recent EKG changes, unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, and acute congestive heart failure); 3. report of 2 or more falls within the past year; 4. cannot walk a distance of 100 feet (30.5 meters) without an assistive device or need of a rest period; 5. have bilateral TKR or undergoing TKR revision or other total joint replacement in the lower extremities; or 6. have severe visual or hearing impairment. In addition to the affects that these impairments have on safety during participation in the intervention, they may also interfere with data collection (questionnaires and telephone checks); 7. have a lower extremity amputation; 8. are unable to comfortably bear weight on the affected knee; 9. have a BMI above 40. 10. history of muscular disease (e.g., muscular dystrophy) or neurological disorder that may affect lower extremity function (e.g., cerebrovascular accident, neuropathy, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis); 11. had additional surgery to the lower extremities within the past 12 months. 12. a Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination score of \<24. 13. have acute or terminal illness; 14. are planning to have another TKR (primary on contralateral, or revision on same knee) within 4 months; 15. are planning to relocate to another city within 4 months. 16. Subjects with Sickle cell disease 17. lymphedema or vascular access restrictions 18. Subjects who have any on-going medical emergency 19. An ankle-brachial index outside of the expected range 0.9 and 1.3

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Quadricep Muscle StrengthBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksQuadricep Muscle Strength will be measured using an isokinetic dynamometer. Quadriceps femoris maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) as torque output (Nm) will be measured. Subjects will be seated in the dynamometer's chair with their knee at 60 degrees of flexion.
Leg Muscles Percentage of Fat MassBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksLeg muscles % fat mass will be measured using a DXA scan.
Leg Muscles Lean Mass in KilogramsBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksLeg muscles lean mass in kilograms will be measured using a DXA scan.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Self-selected Gait SpeedBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksSubject will walk a 4-meter walkway at a self-selected pace. Time to complete task will be recorded.
Timed up and go TestBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksSubject will get up from a chair, walk 3 meters, turn around and walk back to and sit on the chair. Time to complete task will be recorded.
30-second Chair Stand TestBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksSubject will perform sit-to-stand from a standard chair for 30 seconds. Number of times of completed sit-to-stand in 30 seconds will be recorded.
Stair Climb TestBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksSubject will climb up and down a flight of stairs (11 steps). Time to complete task will be recorded.
6-minute Walk TestBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksSubjects will cover as much as they can while walking on a flat, unobstructed path for 6 minutes.
Patient-Reported Physical Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMISBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksPatient-Reported Physical Outcome will be assessed using PROMIS® (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System), which is used to evaluate and monitor physical, mental, and social health in persons with several conditions. This is a 20 item survey with each item scored from 1-5. Total possible scores range from 5-100 with a higher score indicating better physical function.
Health Related Quality of Life (RAND-36)Baseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksThe RAND-36 Questionnaire is comprised of 36 items that assess eight health concepts: physical functioning, role limitations caused by physical health problems, role limitations caused by emotional problems, social functioning, emotional well-being, energy/fatigue, pain, and general health perceptions. All questions are scored on a scale from 0 (worst) to 100 (best), with 100 representing the highest level of functioning possible. Aggregate scores are calculated between 0-100 with higher scores representing better quality of life.
Real-time Physical ActivityBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksAn activity monitor will be worn for 7 days and physical activity (i.e., daily number of steps) will be tracked.
Inflammatory BiomarkersBaseline, 8 weeks and 16 weeksChange in 'MILLIPLEX® MAP Human High Sensitivity T Cell Magnetic Bead Panel' to assess a panel of 8 inflammatory biomarkers: Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-13 and Interferon-γ.

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORGustavo Almeida, PhD

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Participant flow

Recruitment details

16 recruited; 2 did not meet in-person screening; 14 participated in the study.

Pre-assignment details

The 2 participants that did not meet in-person screening had a high Ankle-brachial Index (ABI \> 1.5), which makes it unsafe to participate in blood-flow restriction training.

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
10 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
4 Participants
Age, Continuous70.57 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.56
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
1 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
13 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
13 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
14 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
9 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
5 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 16
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 16
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 16

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 25, 2026