EFFECT OF PLAZEPOD VERSUS ELECTRICAL STIMULATION ON RISK OF FALLING IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS (HD Fall Risk)

January 23, 2026 updated by: Samia Wagdy El Said Diab, Cairo University
Renal nutrition Fluid control Safe physical activity Sleep hygiene, energy and managing fatigue Adherence and awareness

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Application of PlazePod Device and Electrical Stimulation and comparison between them to decrease fall Risk in Hemodialysis Patients

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

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 Locations

  • Egypt
    • Alquarbia
      • Tanta, Alquarbia, Egypt, 31111
        • Tanta
        • Contact:
          • Sally Hafez Mohamed el said, Phd
          • Phone Number: 0100101111315 0100101111315
          • Email: ysaly094@gmail.com
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Heba Ali ABDELGHAFAR ALI, Phd

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

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • :
  • Male patients aged 40 to 50 years.
  • Diagnosed with end-stage renal disease and receiving maintenance hemodialysis for at least 6 months.
  • Medically stable and cleared by a nephrologist to participate in physical activity and/or electrical stimulation.
  • Able to ambulate independently or with minimal assistance.
  • Cognitively able to understand study procedures.
  • Not participating in any other structured exercise program.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe neurological or orthopedic disorders affecting mobility.
  • Unstable cardiovascular conditions.
  • Cognitive impairment or sensory deficits.
  • Contraindications to neuromuscular electrical stimulation.

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: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: BlazePod Training plus Lifestyle Education
Participants in this arm will receive an interactive sensorimotor training program using the BlazePod system combined with a structured lifestyle education program. BlazePod training will focus on improving balance, reaction time, coordination, and functional mobility through static and dynamic balance tasks, reactive stepping, and lower-limb coordination exercises. Training sessions will be conducted three times per week for 30 minutes over a period of 12 weeks under the supervision of a physical therapist. In addition, participants will attend a weekly lifestyle education session addressing renal nutrition, fluid management, safe physical activity, fall prevention strategies, sleep hygiene, fatigue management, and medication adherence.
Device: Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES)
This intervention involves the application of neuromuscular electrical stimulation to the lower limb muscles, specifically the bilateral quadriceps and hamstrings, using a portable electrical stimulation device. Surface electrodes will be placed over the motor points to elicit visible and comfortable muscle contractions. Stimulation parameters will include a frequency of 35-50 Hz, pulse width of 200-400 microseconds, and a duty cycle of 10 seconds on and 30 seconds off. Sessions will be administered three times per week for 30 minutes over 12 weeks under the supervision of a physical therapist. The intervention aims to improve muscle strength, balance, functional mobility, and reduce fall risk in hemodialysis patients.
Active Comparator: Tens plus Lifestyle Education
Participants in this arm will receive neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) applied to the lower limb muscles, including bilateral quadriceps and hamstrings, combined with the same structured lifestyle education program as the experimental group. NMES will be delivered using a portable electrical stimulation device with parameters adjusted to produce visible and comfortable muscle contractions. Sessions will be conducted three times per week for 30 minutes over 12 weeks under physical therapist supervision. Lifestyle education sessions will be provided once weekly and will include renal nutrition, fluid control, safe physical activity, fall prevention strategies, sleep hygiene, fatigue management, and medication adherence.
Device: Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES)
This intervention involves the application of neuromuscular electrical stimulation to the lower limb muscles, specifically the bilateral quadriceps and hamstrings, using a portable electrical stimulation device. Surface electrodes will be placed over the motor points to elicit visible and comfortable muscle contractions. Stimulation parameters will include a frequency of 35-50 Hz, pulse width of 200-400 microseconds, and a duty cycle of 10 seconds on and 30 seconds off. Sessions will be administered three times per week for 30 minutes over 12 weeks under the supervision of a physical therapist. The intervention aims to improve muscle strength, balance, functional mobility, and reduce fall risk in hemodialysis patients.
Device: Device + Behavioral
This intervention consists of interactive sensorimotor training using the BlazePod system, a visual stimulus-based device designed to improve balance, coordination, reaction time, and functional mobility. Participants will perform static and dynamic balance exercises, reactive stepping drills, lower-limb coordination tasks, and dual-task activities in response to visual cues emitted by the BlazePod sensors. Training sessions will be conducted three times per week, with each session lasting 30 minutes, over a total duration of 12 weeks. All sessions will be supervised by a licensed physical therapist to ensure safety and appropriate progression of exercise difficulty. The intervention aims to reduce fall risk by enhancing neuromuscular control and postural stability in hemodialysis patients.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Risk of Falling Assessed by Timed Up and Go Test (TUG)
Time Frame: Baseline and after 12 weeks of intervention
Change in risk of falling measured using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, recorded in seconds. Lower scores indicate better functional mobility and reduced fall risk.
Baseline and after 12 weeks of intervention
Balance Performance Assessed by Berg Balance Scale (BBS)
Time Frame: Baseline and after 12 weeks
Change in static and dynamic balance measured using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), scored from 0 to 56 points, with higher scores indicating better balance performance.
Baseline and after 12 weeks
Lower Limb Muscle Strength
Time Frame: Baseline and after 12 weeks
Change in lower limb muscle strength measured using a hand-held dynamometer, recorded in kilograms (kg).
Baseline and after 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Physical Activity Level
Time Frame: Baseline and after 12 weeks
Change in physical activity level measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF), expressed in MET-minutes/week.
Baseline and after 12 weeks
Kidney Disease-Related Quality of Life
Time Frame: Baseline and after 12 weeks
Change in quality of life measured using the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form questionnaire (KDQOL-36), reported as total score.
Baseline and after 12 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Adherence to Intervention Program
Time Frame: Throughout the 12-week intervention period
Participant adherence to the prescribed physical intervention and lifestyle education sessions, expressed as percentage of attended sessions.
Throughout the 12-week intervention period

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Cairo University

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.

Helpful Links

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)

March 21, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 22, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 22, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 15, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 23, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 23, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CairoU physical therapy

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

"At this time, we have not decided whether individual participant data will be shared. This is due to considerations of patient privacy, confidentiality, and ongoing analysis. A decision regarding data sharing will be made after study completion and in accordance with ethical guidelines."

Study Data/Documents

  1. Study Protocol
    Information identifier: LifestyleStudy2026
    Information comments: Study protocol available for review. Additional data can be shared upon request following ethical approval.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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.

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