Strength Training With Eccentric Arm-cranking in Para-athletes (KREHA-ParAth)

The new training device, the eccentric arm-crank, will be examined for its training effects in athletes with a spinal cord injury (SCI) by this project. That the training device can be used in patients with paraplegia in the future, the so-called "testing of the applicability of this concept" will be carried out during this study. Fourteen volunteer, healthy athletes with SCI are first tested for their upper body performance, followed by a training phase over 20 trainings and at the end the performance data is collected again. The training intensity and duration is continuously increased during the training phase.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Spinal Cord Injuries
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: eccentric arm-cranking training

Detailed Description

At the beginning, the study design includes a familiarisation appointment with performance tests and training on the eccentric arm-crank device (KREHA). At least one week later, the first test sequence including a maximum strength test (bench press) and a test to determine the anaerobic performance (Wingate test) is conducted. The second test sequence takes place one to three days later. This includes a handgrip strength test, an aerobic endurance test (ramp test on the arm crank ergometer with ergospirometry) and a further familiarisation training on the KREHA. The training phase starts within two weeks after the pre-tests have been completed. There are two to a maximum of three trainings per week. These take 30 to 45 minutes and take place on the KREHA device under the supervision of the study staff. The training phase lasts a maximum of twelve weeks (20 training sessions). The first test sequence is repeated five to eight days after the last workout. The second test sequence takes place at the same time interval as in the pre-tests.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 12
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • Canton of Lucerne
    • Nottwil, Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland, 6207
      • Swiss Paraplegic Centre

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 50 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• male or female with traumatic or disease-related SCI
• age between 18 and 50 years
• experience in strength training
• Squad status or at least 4h per week training
• Biceps/triceps function
• healthy(study physician)
• adequately informed and confirmed per signature

Exclusion Criteria:

• findings during anamnesis of study physician
• pregnancy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Eccentric Training; This Group will train on the KREHA for 20 Trainings

Other: eccentric arm-cranking training; Over the twenty training sessions, able-bodied participants will exercise on the KREHA device. An arm-crank has to be decelerated, which will be rotated by a prematurely defined revolution rate and training duration. During this intervention a certain power has to be applied. During the whole time of training a continous progression in power and training duration is applied.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Upper body Performance	Peak Power - maximal reached power, generated during the 30sec Wingate arm-crank test	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Endurance Oxygen consumption	VO2peak [ml/min/kg] - Basic Endurance test (Ergospirometry, arm-crank)	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks
Upper body Mean Power	Mean Power [W] - Wingate Test (arm-crank)	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks
Upper body Power - Time to Peak	Time to Peak [s] - Wingate Test (arm-crank)	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks
1RM bench press	One Repetition Maximum (1RM) [kg]- bench press	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks
Grip Strength	Maximal Force that can be generated by pressing hand towards a fist [N]	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks
Upper Arm Circumference	Circumference of the upper arm is measured with measuring tape	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks
Maximal Workload	Wmax [W] - Basic Endurance test (Ergospirometry, arm-crank)	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks
Upper body Fatigue Index	Fatigue Index [%]- Wingate Test (arm-crank)	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks
Upper body Fatigue Slope	Fatigue Slope [W/s] - Wingate Test (arm-crank)	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks
Lower Arm Circumference	Circumference of the lower arm is measured with measuring tape	through study completion, an average of 20 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Fabian Ammann, MSc, SPZ

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 1, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 20, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): September 20, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 8, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 8, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): March 21, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 18, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 16, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: strength training; eccentric
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Wounds and Injuries; Trauma, Nervous System; Spinal Cord Diseases; Spinal Cord Injuries
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2022-06

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No