Effect of Blood Flow-restricted Exercise Frequency on Strength Recovery Following Incomplete SCI

June 25, 2026 updated by: Karen Hux, Ph.D., Quality Living, Inc.

Effect of Blood Flow-restricted Resistance Exercise Frequency on Strength Recovery Following Incomplete Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the effect of treatment frequency on the physical recovery of adults with incomplete spinal cord injury. The treatment will last for eight weeks and will occur either either two or three times weekly. The main research questions are:

  1. How do changes in muscle strength compare between participants who receive eight weeks of blood flow-restricted exercise two times vs. three times weekly?
  2. How do changes in the level of independence performing a selected functional task compare between participants who receive eight weeks of treatment two times vs. three times weekly?
  3. How do changes in the perceived exertion needed to perform a functional task compare between participants who receive eight weeks of treatment two times vs. three times weekly?

The researchers will compare people receiving treatment two vs. three times per week to see if they differ in the amount of change seen in muscle strength, level of independence performing a functional task requiring use of the targeted muscle group, and/or perceived exertion required to perform the functional task.

Participants will:

  1. complete three pre-treatment evaluation sessions to establish muscle strength, level of independence performing a functional task, and perceived exertion required to perform a functional task.
  2. perform four sets of 20 muscle contraction repetitions of blood flow-restricted exercise on the left and right sides of the body using the targeted muscle group either two times or three times weekly depending on treatment group assignment.
  3. complete three post-treatment evaluation sessions to establish muscle strength, level of independence performing a functional task, and perceived exertion required to perform a functional task.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Participants in both treatment groups will receive blood flow-restricted (BFR) intervention for eight weeks. Other than substituting BFR exercises for those typically performed with the target muscle group, a participant's established treatment program will not change with study enrollment.

Participants will engage in pre-treatment data collection measuring the strength and functional use of the target muscle group for three consecutive days before beginning the BFR protocol. We will use a dynamometer to measure in Newtons the maximum force a participant can exert with the left and right target muscle. To measure functional use, we will assess the assistance a participant needs to perform a designated functional task using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) rating scale. Participants will rate their perceived effort with the Borg category-ratio 10 Rating of Perceived Exertion (Borg) scale.

Each BFR exercise session will begin with measuring resting blood pressure to ensure it is between 80/50 mmHg and 150/90 mmHg. We will then place a 50% inflated pneumatic cuff either with or without an electrical stimulation (ES) device, as appropriate, on the participant's target limb. The participant will perform 4 sets of 20 low-dose contractions of the target muscle with 30 s rest between sets. We will only use ES supplementation when a participant can not perform additional set repetitions independently. Resistance band placement will increase repetition difficulty as strength increases. The treatment regimen will then repeat with the contralateral limb.

We will repeat the measurement of muscle strength and functional task performance for three consecutive days at the conclusion of the eight-week treatment regimen. Again, we will rate the assistance provided for functional task performance using the FIM scale, and the participant will report the effort exerted using the Borg scale.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

20

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 Locations

  • United States
    • Nebraska
      • Omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68104
        • Quality Living, Inc.

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
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • A current client receiving treatment for a spinal cord injury at Quality Living, Inc.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Does not speak English
  • Can not follow commands
  • Recent history of deep vein thrombosis, autonomic dysreflexia, orthostatic hypotension, or cardiovascular disease

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
Active Comparator: Two times per week
Participants will received blood flow-restricted exercise treatment two times per week for eight weeks. Treatment will target one muscle group both on the left and right side of the body. Participants will complete four sets of 20 muscle contraction repetitions with a 30-second rest period between each set. If a participant can not complete all 20 repetitions in a set, they will receive electrical stimulation to the muscle to prompt performance of the remaining set contractions.
Behavioral: Blood flow-restricted exercise
Blood flow-restricted exercise involves performance of low-load contractions of a target muscle group while a pneumatic cuff placed proximally on the limb partially restricts blood flow to muscles and venous return to central circulation.
Other Names:
  • BFR
Active Comparator: Three times per week
Participants will received blood flow-restricted exercise treatment three times per week for eight weeks. Treatment will target one muscle group both on the left and right side of the body. Participants will complete four sets of 20 muscle contraction repetitions with a 30-second rest period between each set. If a participant can not complete all 20 repetitions in a set, they will receive electrical stimulation to the muscle to prompt performance of the remaining set contractions.
Behavioral: Blood flow-restricted exercise
Blood flow-restricted exercise involves performance of low-load contractions of a target muscle group while a pneumatic cuff placed proximally on the limb partially restricts blood flow to muscles and venous return to central circulation.
Other Names:
  • BFR

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Torque in Newton-meters
Time Frame: Three consecutive days pre- and post-treatment
Rotational force exerted when contracting the target muscle group
Three consecutive days pre- and post-treatment

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Functional Independence Measure rating
Time Frame: Three consecutive days pre- and post-treatment
The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is a seven-point scale (i.e., 1=total assistance, 7=complete independence) for quantifying the support needed for a participant to perform a designated functional task.
Three consecutive days pre- and post-treatment
Borg category-ratio 10 Rating of Perceived Exertion scale
Time Frame: Three consecutive days pre- and post-treatment
The Borg category-ratio 10 Rating of Perceived Exertion scale (Borg) provides a means for participants to rate their perceived effort during functional task performance (0=no exertion; 10=highest effort possible).
Three consecutive days pre- and post-treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Quality Living, Inc.

Investigators

  • Study Director: Karen Hux, Ph.D., Quality Living, Inc.

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)

July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 25, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

July 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

July 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 25, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • BFR exercise frequency

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

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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