Improve Muscle Weakness in Patient With COPD

Official title

Aerobic Exercise Combined With Blood Flow Restriction Improves Muscle Strength and Functional Capacity In Patients With Emphysematous COPD: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Overview

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of combining aerobic exercise with blood flow restriction (BFR) training in patients with emphysematous chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The study aimed to determine whether adding BFR to aerobic exercise could enhance muscle strength and functional capacity compared with conventional training alone. The findings demonstrated that aerobic exercise combined with BFR significantly improved lower-limb muscle strength, exercise tolerance, and functional performance in patients with emphysematous COPD. These results suggest that BFR-assisted aerobic training may serve as an effective and safe rehabilitation strategy to improve physical function and quality of life in this population.

Interventions

• Other Aerobic Exercise Combined with Blood Flow Restriction
  Aerobic exercise combined with blood flow restriction (BFR) is a rehabilitation technique in which patients perform low- to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as treadmill or cycling training, while a specialized cuff is applied around the proximal part of the limb to partially restrict blood flow. This method aims to enhance muscle strength and functional performance using lower exercise intensity, making it suitable for patients with limited exercise tolerance, such as individuals with
• Other Aerobic exercise
  The control group performed conventional aerobic exercise training at low to moderate intensity without the application of blood flow restriction. The program included activities such as treadmill walking or cycling to improve cardiovascular endurance, functional capacity, and overall physical fitness in patients with COPD.

Primary outcome measures

• muscle strength [Time frame: 8 weeks]

Secondary outcome measures (1)

• function capacity [Time frame: 8 weeks]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Patients diagnosed with emphysematous chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Clinically stable COPD patients with no acute exacerbation within the previous 4-6 weeks.
• Mild to moderate disease severity according to GOLD criteria.
• Ability to participate safely in aerobic exercise training.
• Medically stable and cleared by a physician for pulmonary rehabilitation.
• Ability to understand and follow study instructions.

Exclusion criteria

• Acute COPD exacerbation or respiratory infection during the study period.
• Severe cardiovascular diseases (e.g., unstable angina, uncontrolled hypertension, recent myocardial infarction).
• Peripheral vascular disease or contraindications to blood flow restriction (BFR) training.
• Severe musculoskeletal, neurological, or orthopedic disorders limiting exercise performance.
• Cognitive impairment affecting cooperation or informed consent.
• Participation in another structured rehabilitation program during the study period.
• Severe hypoxemia requiring continuous oxygen therapy during exercise.
• History of deep vein thrombosis or clotting disorders.

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Triple blind

Primary purpose

Treatment

Study locations

Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07649850 · COPD

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗