Forced Aerobic Exercise for Stroke Rehabilitation

December 20, 2018 updated by: Susan Linder, The Cleveland Clinic
The purpose of the study is to determine if performing different types of aerobic exercise (cycling) before upper extremity exercises will help to improve outcomes after stroke.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The goal of this study is to determine the potential for forced aerobic exercise to augment the recovery of motor function in individuals with stroke. Current approaches to stroke rehabilitation involve intensive, therapist-directed task practice that is both expensive and in some cases, ineffective in fostering functional neuromotor recovery. The identification of a safe, cost-effective approach, such as forced aerobic exercise, to augment the recovery of function achieved through task practice while simultaneously decreasing the cardiovascular risk factors prevalent in stroke survivors would be significant to rehabilitation and stroke communities.

Animal studies along with preliminary human data indicate a specific type of aerobic exercise (AE), forced aerobic exercise (FE), may be ideal in facilitating motor recovery associated with repetitive task practice (RTP). The hypothesis is that that deficits in afferent input and motor cortical output following stroke prevents patients from achieving and maintaining an exercise intensity that is sufficient for facilitating motor recovery; therefore, FE is needed to augment their voluntary efforts and achieve greater gains in recovery. In previous research, a safe lower extremity FE intervention was initially applied to individuals with Parkinson's disease and subsequently to individuals with stroke. Preliminary results indicate that those completing an 8-week FE intervention paired with an abbreviated session of RTP exhibited significantly greater improvement in Fugl-Meyer scores at end of treatment despite completing 40% fewer RTP repetitions, compared to those receiving voluntary-rate aerobic exercise (VE) and RTP and time-matched RTP only. Improvements in cardiovascular fitness and lower extremity motor function were also evident in both groups that engaged in aerobic exercise (FE and VE). Positive results from a preliminary trial indicate safety, feasibility, and initial efficacy of combining two modes of aerobic exercise training with RTP provide rationale for a systematic and larger scale trial to determine the precise role of aerobic exercise, forced and voluntary, in facilitating motor recovery following stroke.

For this study, 30 individuals with chronic stroke will be randomized into one of the following groups: FE = RTP, VE + RTP or patient education and RTP. All three groups will receive an identical dose of contact time over 8 weeks (3X per week). An intervention group receiving a 45-minute session of patient education paired with RTP will serve as the non-exercise control. Clinical and biomechanical outcomes measuring change in upper extremity motor function, lower extremity motor function, and cardiovascular fitness will provide the most complete picture, to date, on the potential neurologic effects of AE (forced and voluntary) on motor recovery and brain function in humans with stroke.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

34

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44195
        • Cleveland Clinic

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Able to provide informed consent
  • At least 6 months post diagnosis of single ischemic stroke, confirmed with neuroimaging
  • Fugl-Meyer Motor Score 19-55 in involved upper extremity
  • Approval from patient's physician
  • Age between 18 and 85 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Hospitalization for myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, or heart surgery (CABG or valve replacement) within 3 months of study enrollment
  • Serious cardiac arrhythmia
  • Other serious heart and lung conditions (i.e.cardiomyopathy, aortic stenosis, cardiac pacemaker, pulmonary embolus)
  • Other medical or musculoskeletal contraindication to exercise
  • Significant cognitive impairment (unable to follow 1-2 step commands) or major psychiatric disorder (major depression, generalized anxiety) that will cause difficulty in study participation
  • Anti-spasticity injection (botox) in upper extremity within 3 months of study enrollment
  • Pregnancy
  • Unstable blood pressure at rest or with exercise

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Forced Exercise & Upper Extremity Repetitive Task Practice

Participants will perform the following:

  1. 45 minutes of cycling on a recumbent stationary bike with a specialized motor that forces the individual to cycle approximately 30-35% faster than your self-selected speed
  2. 45 minutes of upper extremity repetitive arm exercises
Behavioral: Forced Exercise & Upper Extremity Repetitive Task Practice
Active Comparator: Voluntary Exercise & Upper Extremity Repetitive Task Practice

Participants will perform the following:

  1. 45 minutes of cycling on a recumbent stationary bike at your self-selected speed
  2. 45 minutes of upper extremity repetitive arm exercises
Behavioral: Voluntary Exercise & Upper Extremity Repetitive Task Practice
Active Comparator: Stroke Education & Upper Extremity Repetitive Task Practice

Participants will perform the following:

  1. 45 minutes of stroke education
  2. 45 minutes of upper extremity repetitive arm exercises
Behavioral: Stroke Education & Upper Extremity Repetitive Task Practice

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Fugl Meyer Assessment
Time Frame: Change from baseline to midpoint (4 weeks into treatment), at end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Motor test to assess arm impairment. The reported data is the change in total score. Score range from 0-66 and higher scores represent less impairment.
Change from baseline to midpoint (4 weeks into treatment), at end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Wolf Motor Function Test
Time Frame: Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Motor test to assess arm function. The reported data is the change in total Functional Ability Score. Scores range from 0-75 and higher scores represent improved function.
Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Stroke Impact Scale
Time Frame: Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Quality of life questionnaire. The reported data is the normalized Hand Function score. Scores range from 0-100, with higher scores indicating better perceived hand function.
Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Metabolic Stress Test
Time Frame: Change from baseline to follow up assessments at end of 8 week intervention
Cycling test to measure cardiovascular fitness. The data reported is the change in VO2peak. Higher scores indicate higher aerobic capacities.
Change from baseline to follow up assessments at end of 8 week intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Action Research Arm Test
Time Frame: Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Motor test to assess arm function. The reported data is change in total score. Scores range from 0-57, and higher scores indicate better function.
Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression
Time Frame: Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Depression questionnaire. The reported data is change in total score. Scores range from 0-60, and lower scores indicate decreased risk of depression.
Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Processing Speed Test
Time Frame: Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Matching letters and symbols to test cognition. The reported data is change in total number correct.
Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Nine Hole Peg Test
Time Frame: Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Transferring pegs into a fitted hole to measure hand function. The reported data is change in average time to complete.
Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Six Minute Walk Test
Time Frame: Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends
Distance walked in 6 minutes to measure cardiovascular fitness. The reported data is change in total distance traveled.
Change from baseline to end of 8 week intervention, and 4 weeks after the intervention ends

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

The Cleveland Clinic

Collaborators

American Heart Association

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Susan Linder, PT, DPT, NCS, The Cleveland Clinic

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

July 1, 2015

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

August 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 6, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 8, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

July 10, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 28, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 20, 2018

Last Verified

December 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 12-402

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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