Effects of CTAR and a Swallowing Pressure Ball in Older Stroke Adults

June 1, 2026 updated by: NAI CHING CHEN, Chimei Medical Center

Effectiveness of Combining Chin Tuck Against Resistance Swallowing Training and an Innovative Swallowing Pressure Measurement Ball on the Swallowing Function and Quality of Life in Home-Based Older Adults With Stroke

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of resistance swallowing rehabilitation using Chin Tuck Against Resistance (CTAR) exercises combined with an innovative swallowing pressure ball in improving swallowing function and swallowing-related quality of life among home-based older stroke patients with dysphagia.

Participants will receive a 12-week swallowing rehabilitation program conducted in the home-care setting. Outcome measures include swallowing function assessments, swallowing-related quality of life, and rehabilitation adherence. The study is designed as a randomized controlled trial to explore the feasibility and clinical benefits of resistance-based swallowing rehabilitation in community and home-care environments.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

132

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

  • Taiwan
    • Tainan City
      • Tainan, Tainan City, Taiwan, 71004
        • Recruiting
        • ChiMei Medical Center
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • NAI CHING Chen, RN

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

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 65 and 90 years.
  • Diagnosed with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke more than 6 months prior to enrollment.
  • Receiving home care services from participating home care agencies.
  • Able to follow instructions and participate in swallowing training.
  • MMSE score ≥24, or adjusted according to education level.
  • Passed the second stage of the 3-step swallowing screening test.
  • Presence of post-stroke dysphagia symptoms.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of head and neck cancer or head and neck radiotherapy.
  • History of cervical spine surgery or tracheostomy.
  • Severe neurological or neuromuscular diseases affecting swallowing function.
  • Severe unstable medical conditions.
  • Current use of medications significantly affecting swallowing function or muscle tone.
  • Unable to complete the intervention or follow-up assessments.
  • Receiving tube feeding without oral intake ability.

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: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: CTAR Combined With Innovative Swallowing Pressure Ball
Device: Innovative Swallowing Pressure Measurement Ball Combined With CTAR Training
Participants receive Chin Tuck Against Resistance (CTAR) swallowing training combined with an innovative swallowing pressure measurement ball intervention twice daily for 12 weeks.
Active Comparator: Conventional Swallowing Rehabilitation
Behavioral: Conventional Swallowing Rehabilitation
Participants receive conventional swallowing rehabilitation including tongue resistance exercise and oral motor control training.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Swallowing Quality of Life Questionnaire (SWAL-QOL) Total Score
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 12
Swallowing-related quality of life assessed using the Swallowing Quality of Life Questionnaire (SWAL-QOL). The total score ranges from 44 to 220 points, with higher scores indicating better swallowing-related quality of life.
Baseline to Week 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
GOKURI Swallowing Function and Cough Events
Time Frame: Baseline to Week 12
Swallowing function assessed using the GOKURI wearable swallowing monitoring system. Outcomes include the frequency of cough events and swallowing-related acoustic signals. Lower cough event frequency indicates better swallowing safety and function.
Baseline to Week 12

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Chimei Medical Center

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 (Actual)

March 18, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

February 28, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 27, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 1, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CMMC11404013

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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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