Motor Imagery in High-Risk Pregnants

Acute Effect of Motor Imagery in High-Risk Pregnants: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

The aim of this study is to determine the acute effects of motor imagery exercises on fetal heart rate, uterine contractions, maternal heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and well-being in high-risk pregnant women.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Pregnancy, High Risk
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Motor imagery; Other: Diaphragmatic breathing

Detailed Description

Bed rest is often recommended in high-risk pregnant women to prevent complications from reaching dangerous levels.

Pregnant women recommended bed rest can benefit from exercise in order to overcome this process more easily, to reduce the negative consequences of inactivity and to prevent possible risks.

However, there may be differences between the view of high-risk pregnant women and the view of healthy pregnant women. Motor imagery refers to a mental process in which an individual mentally imagines that movement without actually eliciting an active movement. Studies have shown that similar brain regions are activated during movement performance and movement imagery. It has been reported in the literature that progressive relaxation exercises performed under mental/motor imagery guidance in healthy pregnant women and pregnant women lead to an improvement in maternal anxiety, stress and fetal attachment scales and a decrease in maternal systolic/diastolic blood pressure. However, as far as the investigators know, there is no study that applies the exercise protocol that can be given to healthy pregnant women to high-risk pregnant women with motor imagery and examines acute responses on fetal and maternal parameters.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 76
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • İzmir, Turkey
    • Health Sciences University İzmir Tepecik Education and Research Hospital Gynecology and Obstetrics Clinic

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Risky pregnant women who have completed the 12th week of pregnancy, received inpatient treatment and have any of the following risk factors will be included in the study:

• Pregnant women who are at risk for obstetric outcomes such as cervical insufficiency, multiple pregnancy and uncontrolled gestational diabetes, and physical activity restriction is recommended due to these conditions, and exercise is contraindicated,
• Pregnant women with a maternal body mass index above 30, which causes them to be physically inactive

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant women who are at risk for obstetric outcomes such as gestational diabetes mellitus and pregnancy-induced hypertension, but physical activity is recommended
• Pregnant women with severe cardiovascular, pulmonary and systemic disorders
• Pregnant women with psychological seizure disorders
• Pregnant women who do not have any mental problems that prevent cooperation and understanding
• Pregnant women with any medical condition that prevents the safe and effective implementation of interventions.
• Pregnant women in other high-risk groups (such as early membrane rupture, placenta previa, preeclampsia) that may have early intervention in terms of obstetric outcomes.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Motor Imagery Group; Risky pregnant women who have completed the 12th week of pregnancy, received inpatient treatment and have any of the following risk factors will be included in the study: Pregnant women who are at risk for obstetric outcomes such as cervical insufficiency, multiple pregnancy and uncontrolled gestational diabetes, and physical activity restriction is recommended due to these conditions, and exercise is contraindicated,; Pregnant women with a maternal body mass index above 30, which causes them to be physically inactive	Other: Motor imagery; Motor imagery will be performed according to the PETTLEP (Physical,Environment,Task,Time,Learn,Emotion,Perspective) model for 15 minutes.; To imagine walking activity in different environments (seaside, beach, walking path).; The rest activity will be imagined by sitting on a bench.; Upper extremity strengthening exercises with dumbbells, lower extremity strengthening exercises with elastic band and trunk-oriented bridging, posterior pelvic tilt and table top stabilization exercises will be visualized.; The rest activity will be imagined by sitting on a bench.; Imagination will end with homecoming and domestic activities.; Other: Diaphragmatic breathing; Diaphragmatic breathing will be shown to pregnant women in the supine position, eyes closed, with one hand on the chest and the other hand on the abdomen. This practice will last for five minutes.
Active Comparator: Control Group; Risky pregnant women who have completed the 12th week of pregnancy, received inpatient treatment and have any of the following risk factors will be included in the study: Pregnant women who are at risk for obstetric outcomes such as cervical insufficiency, multiple pregnancy and uncontrolled gestational diabetes, and physical activity restriction is recommended due to these conditions, and exercise is contraindicated,; Pregnant women with a maternal body mass index above 30, which causes them to be physically inactive	Other: Diaphragmatic breathing; Diaphragmatic breathing will be shown to pregnant women in the supine position, eyes closed, with one hand on the chest and the other hand on the abdomen. This practice will last for five minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maternal self well-being	Well-being will be assessed on a numbered classification scale-11. '0' indicates worse self well-being, '10' indicates excellent self well-being.	at baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maternal self well-being	Well-being will be assessed on a numbered classification scale-11. '0' indicates worse self well-being, '10' indicates excellent self well-being.	immediately after intervention
Maternal heart rate	Heart rate measurements will be made with an arm type digital sphygmomanometer.	at baseline
Maternal heart rate	Heart rate measurements will be made with an arm type digital sphygmomanometer.	immediately after intervention
Maternal blood pressure (systolic pressure)	Blood pressure measurements will be made with an arm type digital sphygmomanometer. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure will be assessed.	at baseline
Maternal blood pressure (systolic pressure)	Blood pressure measurements will be made with an arm type digital sphygmomanometer. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure will be assessed.	immediately after intervention
Maternal blood pressure (diastolic pressure)	Blood pressure measurements will be made with an arm type digital sphygmomanometer. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure will be assessed.	at baseline
Maternal blood pressure (diastolic pressure)	Blood pressure measurements will be made with an arm type digital sphygmomanometer. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure will be assessed.	immediately after intervention
oxygen saturation	Finger type pulse oximeter will be attached and peripheral oxygen saturation will be monitored.	at baseline
oxygen saturation	Finger type pulse oximeter will be attached and peripheral oxygen saturation will be monitored.	immediately after intervention
Fetal Heart Rate	Fetal heart rate will be monitored with a cardiotachometer (Philips Avalon Fetal Monitor).	at baseline
Fetal Heart Rate	Fetal heart rate will be monitored with a cardiotachometer (Philips Avalon Fetal Monitor).	immediately after intervention
Uterine contractions severity	Uterine contractions severity will be monitored with a cardiotachometer (Philips Avalon Fetal Monitor).	at baseline
Uterine contractions severity	Uterine contractions severity will be monitored with a cardiotachometer (Philips Avalon Fetal Monitor).	immediately after intervention
Maternal heart rate	Heart rate measurements will be made with an arm type digital sphygmomanometer.	in the 7th minutes of the intervention
Maternal blood pressure (systolic pressure)	Blood pressure measurements will be made with an arm type digital sphygmomanometer. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure will be assessed.	in the 7th minutes of the intervention
Maternal blood pressure (diastolic pressure)	Blood pressure measurements will be made with an arm type digital sphygmomanometer. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure will be assessed.	in the 7th minutes of the intervention
oxygen saturation	Finger type pulse oximeter will be attached and peripheral oxygen saturation will be monitored.	in the 7th minutes of the intervention
Fetal Heart Rate	Fetal heart rate will be monitored with a cardiotachometer (Philips Avalon Fetal Monitor).	in the 7th minutes of the intervention
Uterine contractions severity	Uterine contractions severity will be monitored with a cardiotachometer (Philips Avalon Fetal Monitor).	in the 7th minutes of the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Izmir University of Economics
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Seda Yakıt Yeşilyurt, PT, PhD, Izmir University of Economics

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 2, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): January 5, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 14, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 12, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): July 14, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 31, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 29, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: İEU_SYY_1

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No