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Feasibility of Lower-Body EMS Resistance Training in Postmenopausal Women (LB-EMS-Pilot)

27 de julho de 2026 atualizado por: Kyungho Kim, Seoul National University

Feasibility and Effects of Lower-Body Electrical Muscle Stimulation Resistance Training on Body Composition, Muscle Function, Arteriosclerotic Indices, and Autonomic Function in Postmenopausal Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

This pilot randomized controlled trial evaluates whether combining lower-body electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) with resistance training is feasible and beneficial for physically inactive postmenopausal women, who experience concurrent declines in muscle strength, body composition, arterial elasticity, and cardiac autonomic balance.

Sixteen physically inactive postmenopausal women aged 50-70 years are randomly assigned (1:1) to either (A) supervised resistance training combined with lower-body EMS (applied to 6 muscle groups: lower back, lower abdomen, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves) or (B) supervised resistance training alone. Both groups complete twelve 50-minute sessions (consisting of a 10-minute warm-up, 30-minute main exercise, and a 10-minute cool-down) over 6 weeks (twice weekly). Assessments before and after the intervention include body composition, lower-body muscle function, arterial stiffness, and 5-minute heart rate variability.

The primary aim is to determine the feasibility of the protocol(recruitment, retention, session attendance, and intervention dose delivery) to inform a future definitive trial. Preliminary estimates of intervention effects on the measured outcomes are reported as secondary aims.

Visão geral do estudo

Status

Concluído

Condições

Intervenção / Tratamento

Descrição detalhada

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE Postmenopausal women often experience physiological declines in muscle function, body composition, and cardiovascular health. While resistance training is an established countermeasure, maximizing its efficiency and adherence remains a challenge. Applying lower-body electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) during resistance training may enhance physiological adaptations and overall training effectiveness. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of combining lower-body EMS with resistance training in physically inactive postmenopausal women to inform the design of a future definitive trial.

STUDY DESIGN This is a pilot randomized controlled trial. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group receiving combined lower-body EMS and resistance training or a control group receiving resistance training alone. Clinical and physiological outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention period to evaluate preliminary effects.

PRIMARY FEASIBILITY OUTCOMES

The primary objective is to evaluate the feasibility of the study protocol. Feasibility will be determined by assessing several key components, including:

Recruitment: The ability to recruit the target population within the planned timeframe.

Retention: The proportion of participants who complete the study and post-intervention assessments.

Adherence: Participant attendance and compliance with the scheduled exercise sessions.

Intervention Fidelity: The successful delivery of the exercise intensity and EMS protocol as intended.

These components will be evaluated against pre-established progression criteria to determine whether the protocol can proceed to a larger trial or requires modification.

STATISTICAL APPROACH Feasibility outcomes will be summarized primarily using descriptive statistics. For secondary physiological and clinical outcomes, appropriate statistical methods will be utilized to estimate the preliminary effects of the intervention, comparing changes between the groups while adjusting for baseline measurements. Effect sizes and confidence intervals will be calculated to provide preliminary evidence and to assist with sample size calculations for future large-scale trials.

Tipo de estudo

Intervencional

Inscrição (Real)

16

Estágio

  • Não aplicável

Contactos e Locais

Esta seção fornece os detalhes de contato para aqueles que conduzem o estudo e informações sobre onde este estudo está sendo realizado.

Contato de estudo

  • Nome: Kyungho Kim, MS
  • Número de telefone: 82 + 010-3589-8202
  • E-mail: 2007kkh@gmail.com

Locais de estudo

    • Seoul
      • Seoul, Seoul, Coréia do Sul, 08826
        • Seoul National University

Critérios de participação

Os pesquisadores procuram pessoas que se encaixem em uma determinada descrição, chamada de critérios de elegibilidade. Alguns exemplos desses critérios são a condição geral de saúde de uma pessoa ou tratamentos anteriores.

Critérios de elegibilidade

Idades elegíveis para estudo

  • Adulto
  • Adulto mais velho

Aceita Voluntários Saudáveis

Sim

Descrição

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Women aged 50 to 70 years.
  • Menopause for at least 1 year with no current menstruation.
  • Physically inactive (have not participated in resistance training more than twice a week for the past 6 months)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Currently receiving hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
  • Presence of implanted electrical medical devices.
  • Severe or uncontrolled medical conditions.
  • Any surgery within the past 6 months.
  • Acute illness with fever, infection, or active inflammation.
  • Severe peripheral arterial disease or abdominal/inguinal hernia.
  • Severe psychiatric disorders requiring medication, or current substance abuse.
  • Deemed physically or mentally unfit to participate in the exercise program by the investigator.

Plano de estudo

Esta seção fornece detalhes do plano de estudo, incluindo como o estudo é projetado e o que o estudo está medindo.

Como o estudo é projetado?

Detalhes do projeto

  • Finalidade Principal: Outro
  • Alocação: Randomizado
  • Modelo Intervencional: Atribuição Paralela
  • Mascaramento: Solteiro

Armas e Intervenções

Grupo de Participantes / Braço
Intervenção / Tratamento
Experimental: A Group: EMS + Resistance Training
Lower-body EMS combined with 8 machine-based resistance exercises for 6 weeks, 2 sessions per week.
Electrical muscle stimulation (85 Hz, 350 μs, cycle 11, duty approx 1:2) applied to 6 muscle groups: lower back (erector spinae), lower abdomen, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves.
A 50-minute session consisting of a 10-minute warm-up, 30 minutes of main exercise (8 machine-based lower-body resistance exercises, 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions), and a 10-minute cool-down.
Comparador Ativo: B Group: Resistance Training
8 machine-based resistance exercises for 6 weeks, 2 sessions per week without EMS.
A 50-minute session consisting of a 10-minute warm-up, 30 minutes of main exercise (8 machine-based lower-body resistance exercises, 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions), and a 10-minute cool-down.

O que o estudo está medindo?

Medidas de resultados primários

Medida de resultado
Descrição da medida
Prazo
Composite Feasibility Outcome (Recruitment, Retention, Session Attendance, and Intervention Dose Delivery)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

The primary outcome is the feasibility of the study protocol, assessed via recruitment rates, participant retention, session adherence, and targeted intervention delivery. These indicators will be evaluated against pre-defined progression criteria using descriptive statistics to determine whether to proceed with or modify the protocol for a future definitive trial.

Unit: Percentage

Baseline and Week 6

Medidas de resultados secundários

Medida de resultado
Descrição da medida
Prazo
Skeletal Muscle Mass Index (SMI)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by height squared. Unit: kg/m².
Baseline and Week 6
Total Body Muscle Mass
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Total skeletal muscle mass of the whole body. Unit: kg
Baseline and Week 6
Total Leg Muscle Mass
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Combined left and right leg skeletal muscle mass. Unit: kg
Baseline and Week 6
Body Fat Percentage
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Body fat mass expressed as a percentage of total body weight. Unit: %
Baseline and Week 6
Total Body Fat Mass
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Absolute total body fat in kilograms. Unit: kg
Baseline and Week 6
Estimated Visceral Fat Area (eVFA)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Estimated visceral fat area at the umbilical level. Unit: cm²
Baseline and Week 6
Waist Circumference
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Circumference measured at the level of the umbilicus. Unit: cm
Baseline and Week 6
Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Waist circumference divided by hip circumference. Unit: ratio
Baseline and Week 6
Body Mass Index (BMI)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Body weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Unit: kg/m²
Baseline and Week 6
Phase Angle
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Whole-body bioimpedance phase angle derived from the arctangent of the reactance-to-resistance ratio. Marker of cellular membrane integrity and overall nutritional/health status.

Unit: degrees

Baseline and Week 6
Dominant Knee Extensor Peak Torque per Body Weight at 60°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Peak concentric knee extensor torque normalized to body weight, measured at 60°/sec angular velocity on the dominant limb.

Unit: Nm/kg

Baseline and Week 6
Non-dominant Knee Extensor Peak Torque per Body Weight at 60°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Peak concentric knee extensor torque normalized to body weight at 60°/sec on the non-dominant limb.

Unit: Nm/kg

Baseline and Week 6
Dominant Knee Flexor Peak Torque per Body Weight at 60°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Peak concentric knee flexor (hamstring) torque normalized to body weight at 60°/sec on the dominant limb.

Unit: Nm/kg

Baseline and Week 6
Non-dominant Knee Flexor Peak Torque per Body Weight at 60°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Peak concentric knee flexor torque normalized to body weight at 60°/sec on the non-dominant limb.

Unit: Nm/kg

Baseline and Week 6
Dominant Hamstring-to-Quadriceps (H/Q) Ratio at 60°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Ratio of knee flexor peak torque to knee extensor peak torque at 60°/sec on the dominant limb.

Unit: ratio

Baseline and Week 6
Non-dominant Hamstring-to-Quadriceps (H/Q) Ratio at 60°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Ratio of knee flexor peak torque to knee extensor peak torque at 60°/sec on the non-dominant limb.

Unit: ratio

Baseline and Week 6
Dominant Total Work Done by Knee Extensor per Body Weight at 180°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Total work performed by knee extensors across the test set, normalized to body weight, at 180°/sec angular velocity on the dominant limb.

Unit: Nm/kg

Baseline and Week 6
Non-dominant Total Work Done by Knee Extensor per Body Weight at 180°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Total work performed by knee extensors normalized to body weight at 180°/sec on the non-dominant limb.

Unit: Nm/kg

Baseline and Week 6
Dominant Total Work Done by Knee Flexor per Body Weight at 180°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Total work performed by knee flexors normalized to body weight at 180°/sec on the dominant limb.

Unit: Nm/kg

Baseline and Week 6
Non-dominant Total Work Done by Knee Flexor per Body Weight at 180°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Total work performed by knee flexors normalized to body weight at 180°/sec on the non-dominant limb.

Unit: Nm/kg

Baseline and Week 6
Average Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity (baPWV)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Mean of left and right brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity; primary indicator of large-artery stiffness.

Unit: cm/s

Baseline and Week 6
Highest Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity (baPWV)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
The higher of left and right baPWV values, reflecting the most affected limb. Unit: cm/s
Baseline and Week 6
Brachial Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Brachial systolic blood pressure. Unit: mmHg
Baseline and Week 6
Brachial Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Brachial diastolic blood pressure. Unit: mmHg
Baseline and Week 6
Pulse Pressure (PP)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Pulse pressure calculated as systolic minus diastolic blood pressure. Unit: mmHg
Baseline and Week 6
Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Mean arterial pressure derived from systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Unit: mmHg
Baseline and Week 6
Average Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Mean of left and right ankle-brachial systolic blood pressure ratio. Unit: ratio
Baseline and Week 6
Augmentation Index (AI)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Augmentation index derived from second-derivative photoplethysmography. Unit: unitless
Baseline and Week 6
Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Root mean square of successive differences between adjacent normal-to-normal RR intervals.

Unit: ms

Baseline and Week 6
High-Frequency (HF) Power
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Spectral power in the high-frequency band (0.15-0.4 Hz); index of parasympathetic (vagal) activity.

Unit: ms²

Baseline and Week 6
Standard Deviation of NN Intervals (SDNN)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Standard deviation of all normal-to-normal RR intervals; time-domain index of overall heart rate variability.

Unit: ms

Baseline and Week 6
Low-Frequency (LF) Power
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Spectral power in the low-frequency band (0.04-0.15 Hz). Unit: ms²
Baseline and Week 6
LF/HF Ratio
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Ratio of low-frequency to high-frequency spectral power. Unit: ratio
Baseline and Week 6
High-Frequency Normalized Units (HFnu)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
HF power expressed in normalized units = HF / (LF + HF) × 100. Unit: n.u.
Baseline and Week 6
Low-Frequency Normalized Units (LFnu)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
LF power expressed in normalized units = LF / (LF + HF) × 100. Unit: n.u.
Baseline and Week 6
Total Power (TP)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Total spectral power up to 0.4 Hz. Unit: ms²
Baseline and Week 6
Very-Low-Frequency (VLF) Power
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Spectral power in the very-low-frequency band (≤0.04 Hz). Unit: ms²
Baseline and Week 6

Outras medidas de resultado

Medida de resultado
Descrição da medida
Prazo
Dominant Knee Extensor Fatigue Index at 180°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Percentage decline in knee extensor torque across the repetition set at 180°/sec on the dominant limb.

Unit: %

Baseline and Week 6
Non-dominant Knee Extensor Fatigue Index at 180°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Percentage decline in knee extensor torque across the repetition set at 180°/sec on the non-dominant limb.

Unit: %

Baseline and Week 6
Dominant Knee Flexor Fatigue Index at 180°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Percentage decline in knee flexor torque across the repetition set at 180°/sec on the dominant limb.

Unit: %.

Baseline and Week 6
Non-dominant Knee Flexor Fatigue Index at 180°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Percentage decline in knee flexor torque across the repetition set at 180°/sec on the non-dominant limb.

Unit: %

Baseline and Week 6
Bilateral Deficit of Knee Extensors at 60°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Percentage asymmetry of knee extensor peak torque between dominant and non-dominant limbs at 60°/sec.

Unit: %

Baseline and Week 6
Bilateral Deficit of Knee Flexors at 60°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Percentage asymmetry of knee flexor peak torque between dominant and non-dominant limbs at 60°/sec.

Unit: %

Baseline and Week 6
Dominant Total Work Done H/Q Ratio at 180°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Ratio of knee flexor to knee extensor total work done at 180°/sec on the dominant limb.

Unit: ratio

Baseline and Week 6
Non-dominant Total Work Done H/Q Ratio at 180°/s
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Ratio of knee flexor to knee extensor total work done at 180°/sec on the non-dominant limb.

Unit: ratio

Baseline and Week 6
Arterial Elasticity (AE)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6
Arterial elasticity index derived from second-derivative photoplethysmography. Unit: unitless
Baseline and Week 6
Peripheral Elasticity (PE)
Prazo: Baseline and Week 6

Peripheral elasticity index derived from second-derivative photoplethysmography.

Unit: unitless.

Baseline and Week 6

Colaboradores e Investigadores

É aqui que você encontrará pessoas e organizações envolvidas com este estudo.

Patrocinador

Investigadores

  • Investigador principal: Yeon Soo Kim, MD, Prof, Seoul National University

Datas de registro do estudo

Essas datas acompanham o progresso do registro do estudo e os envios de resumo dos resultados para ClinicalTrials.gov. Os registros do estudo e os resultados relatados são revisados ​​pela National Library of Medicine (NLM) para garantir que atendam aos padrões específicos de controle de qualidade antes de serem publicados no site público.

Datas Principais do Estudo

Início do estudo (Real)

1 de junho de 2026

Conclusão Primária (Real)

27 de julho de 2026

Conclusão do estudo (Real)

27 de julho de 2026

Datas de inscrição no estudo

Enviado pela primeira vez

1 de junho de 2026

Enviado pela primeira vez que atendeu aos critérios de CQ

1 de junho de 2026

Primeira postagem (Real)

5 de junho de 2026

Atualizações de registro de estudo

Última Atualização Postada (Real)

28 de julho de 2026

Última atualização enviada que atendeu aos critérios de controle de qualidade

27 de julho de 2026

Última verificação

1 de julho de 2026

Mais Informações

Termos relacionados a este estudo

Outros números de identificação do estudo

  • SNU 26-02-085

Plano para dados de participantes individuais (IPD)

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INDECISO

Informações sobre medicamentos e dispositivos, documentos de estudo

Estuda um medicamento regulamentado pela FDA dos EUA

Não

Estuda um produto de dispositivo regulamentado pela FDA dos EUA

Não

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