The Short-term Effect of Low-load Resistance Training with Blood-flow Restriction on Somatosensory-evoked Potentials in Healthy Young Adults

January 1, 2025 updated by: Taif A. M. Omran, University of Sharjah

The Short-term Effect of Low-load Resistance Training with Blood-flow Restriction on Somatosensory-evoked Potentials in Healthy Young Adults - a Randomized Crossover Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the short-term effect of lower limb BFRT on the somatosensory processing and related changes in SSEP amplitude and latency. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Is there an effect of short-term application of BFRT on the somatosensory system?
  • How do different cuff widths affect the somatosensory system?
  • How do three different cuff widths affect perceived pain? Researchers will compare 3 different cuff widths to see if different cuff widths affect the somatosensory system and perceived pain.

Participants will:

  • Undergo 3 experimental sessions, sessions will be separated by 72 hours and the order of the sessions to be randomly selected.
  • Perform low-load resistance training with blood flow restriction.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The current study will be conducted in the college of health sciences, physiotherapy department, in the medical campus in the University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The study design is a Randomized Crossover Trial, which will include three groups of healthy young adults, each group will use a different cuff widths (small cuff width (5 cm), medium cuff width (12 cm), and large cuff width (18 cm)). Participants in all three groups will undergo three experimental sessions in a random order, which will include the application of a blood flow restriction cuff combined with resistance exercise, the application of a blood flow restriction cuff without resistance exercise, and traditional resistance exercise without a blood flow restriction cuff. During each session, SSEP measurements will be recorded at three time points: before, during, and after the experimental session by stimulating the tibial nerve at the ankle and measuring the SSEP amplitude and latency.

Healthy young adults aged 18-30 years of both genders will be recruited through word of mouth and through social media by sharing the study flyer. Then, they will be screened for their eligibility to participate in the current study. Participants who will meet the eligibility criteria will be asked to provide their consent after the study is explained by filling out the consent form.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the three groups: (1) small cuff width (5 cm), (2) medium cuff width (12 cm), and (3) large cuff width (18 cm) by using permuted block randomization method with large, random, and variable block sizes to ensure groups are balanced and selection bias is minimized.

The first experimental session will start by conducting the one repetition maximum (1-RM) test of unilateral knee extension of the dominant leg, in which the dominant side was identified by asking the participants which side they will use to kick a ball. Before conducting the 1-RM test, 5 minutes warm-up on the cycle ergometer at 75W will be done. Calibration of the dynamometer will be done before operating the machine with each participant, then the participant will be positioned on the dynamometer seat comfortably with ensuring the back is supported and the knee is aligned with the axis of rotation. The participant will be asked to complete one successful repetition of knee extension through full range of motion (ROM), with increasing load until the participant can no longer complete full knee extension ROM, 3 minutes of rest will be allowed between attempts until the 1-RM is identified. To eliminate the effect of fatigue after 1-RM test, the first experimental session will always include the application of the BFR cuff without resistance exercise.

For both experimental sessions 2 and 3, the order of exercise condition will be randomly selected, either to be (1) the application of BFR cuff with resistance exercise, or (2) resistance exercise without the application of BFR cuff to decrease the incidence of learning effect. Cuff pressure during the application of BFR will be standardized to 50% of AOP.

The resistance exercise for both experimental sessions 2 and 3 will be exactly similar and will involve four sets of isometric knee extensions at an intensity of 20% of 1-RM with repetitions of 30, 15, 15, and 15 by using the isokinetic dynamometer machine, which has a good to excellent test-retest reliability for knee extension movement with ICC value of 0.95-0.99. To minimize cognitive and neuromuscular fatigue, the experimental sessions will be separated by a minimum of three days (72 hours).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

30

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 Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

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

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants will be included if they are aged 18-30 years of both genders, with no history of cardiovascular problems or osteo-articular problems in the lower limbs, and if they responded negatively to all items of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q).
  • Participants will be included if they have a body mass index (BMI) less than 25 or non-overweight individuals.
  • Use of the long international physical activity questionnaire (L-IPAQ) to ensure all participants have equal physical activity levels.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participants will be excluded if they did not meet the inclusion criteria, and if they had a history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), congenital heart disease, varicose veins, currently pregnant, or any contraindications to exercise.
  • Participants will be excluded if they were diagnosed with any neurological disease.
  • Participants will be excluded if they have had any musculoskeletal injury in the past 3 months to avoid potential effect on their physical activity levels.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Passive application of BFR cuff
Other: Passive application of BFR cuff
The first experimental session will start by conducting the one repetition maximum (1-RM) test of unilateral knee extension of the dominant leg, in which the dominant side was identified by asking the participants which side they will use to kick a ball. Before conducting the 1-RM test, 5 minutes warm-up on the cycle ergometer at 75W will be done. Calibration of the dynamometer will be done before operating the machine with each participant, then the participant will be positioned on the dynamometer seat comfortably with ensuring the back is supported and the knee is aligned with the axis of rotation. The participant will be asked to complete one successful repetition of knee extension through full range of motion (ROM), with increasing load until the participant can no longer complete full knee extension ROM, 3 minutes of rest will be allowed between attempts until the 1-RM is identified.
Experimental: Resistance exercise with BFR
Other: Resistance exercise with BFR

For both experimental sessions 2 and 3, the order of exercise condition will be randomly selected, either to be (1) the application of BFR cuff with resistance exercise, or (2) resistance exercise without the application of BFR cuff to decrease the incidence of learning effect. Cuff pressure during the application of BFR will be standardized to 50% of AOP.

The resistance exercise for both experimental sessions 2 and 3 will be exactly similar and will involve four sets of isometric knee extensions at an intensity of 20% of 1-RM with repetitions of 30, 15, 15, and 15 by using the isokinetic dynamometer machine, which has a good to excellent test-retest reliability for knee extension movement with ICC value of 0.95-0.99. To minimize cognitive and neuromuscular fatigue, the experimental sessions will be separated by a minimum of three days (72 hours).
Experimental: Resistance exercise without BFR
Other: Resistance exercise without BFR

For both experimental sessions 2 and 3, the order of exercise condition will be randomly selected, either to be (1) the application of BFR cuff with resistance exercise, or (2) resistance exercise without the application of BFR cuff to decrease the incidence of learning effect. Cuff pressure during the application of BFR will be standardized to 50% of AOP.

The resistance exercise for both experimental sessions 2 and 3 will be exactly similar and will involve four sets of isometric knee extensions at an intensity of 20% of 1-RM with repetitions of 30, 15, 15, and 15 by using the isokinetic dynamometer machine, which has a good to excellent test-retest reliability for knee extension movement with ICC value of 0.95-0.99. To minimize cognitive and neuromuscular fatigue, the experimental sessions will be separated by a minimum of three days (72 hours).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Somatosensory-evoked Potential
Time Frame: 1st Session: Before BFR cuff. During (4 times, 2 min apart). After (4 times, 5 min apart). 2nd & 3rd Sessions: Before exercise with/without BFR cuff. During (4 times, after each set, during rest period). After (4 times, 5 min apart).
SSEP is a reliable, reproducible, and frequently employed to detect alterations in electrophysiological conduction within the central and peripheral nervous pathways. The assessment of SSEP will involve the placement of electrodes for tibial nerve stimulation at the ankle, which includes both stimulating and recording electrodes.
1st Session: Before BFR cuff. During (4 times, 2 min apart). After (4 times, 5 min apart). 2nd & 3rd Sessions: Before exercise with/without BFR cuff. During (4 times, after each set, during rest period). After (4 times, 5 min apart).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Perceived Pain
Time Frame: Immediately after each session: - Rate perceived pain during the session (BFR cuff application and resistance exercise). - Rate if they are currently experiencing pain.
Visual analogue scale (VAS) is widely used to measure the frequency or intensity of various symptoms. VAS is valid, reliable, and frequently used outcome measure to measure intensity of perceived pain. Electronic-based VAS will be used to measure the level of perceived pain after the application of different cuff widths, where there will be a 10-cm/100-mm long horizontal line, with "No pain" to be rated as 0 mm, while "Worst imaginable pain" to be rated as 100 mm and the participant is asked to draw a vertical mark on the horizontal line indicating their level of perceived pain.
Immediately after each session: - Rate perceived pain during the session (BFR cuff application and resistance exercise). - Rate if they are currently experiencing pain.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Sharjah

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 (Estimated)

January 20, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 31, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 23, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 1, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 1, 2025

Last Verified

January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BFRT-SSEP

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

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.

Clinical Trials on The Current Study Focuses on Investigating the Short-term Effect of BFRT on the Somatosensory System Among Healthy Young Adults

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