Ischaemic preconditioning, exercise tolerance and spinal cord injury.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does ischaemic preconditioning improve upper body exercise performance in people with spinal cord injury? A feasibility study
IRAS ID
311353
Contact name
Rohit Bhide
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Ischaemic preconditioning (IPC) involves application of brief periods of ischaemia and reperfusion to a body part in order to achieve beneficial or protective effects. Previous studies have shown that IPC improves exercise performance and fatigue in healthy subjects. It is simple, easy to deliver, non-invasive, and has been demonstrated to be safe and well-tolerated in able-bodied individuals and persons with a chronic condition such as chronic heart failure.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes paralysis, impaired sensation below the lesion and bowel / bladder dysfunction. Fatigue affects almost 50% of patients with SCI and has negative association with community participation. Patients under regular follow-up report limited abilities due to fatigue and poor endurance. Any help to reduce fatigue and improve activity participation is likely to be beneficial to both patients and the treating team.
Previous research reports improved muscle contraction performance following IPC in able-bodied participants (e.g., handgrip strength, knee extension performance), however, its effect on triceps contraction performance in SCI, relevant for tasks such as transfers and ambulation, is currently unknown.
The primary aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of ischemic preconditioning in persons with SCI, while its effect on triceps exercise performance is the secondary aim.
The design for the study is a single-blind randomised controlled trial. Patients with chronic SCI (>1-year post-injury, >18 years of age) across all lesion levels, but with preserved triceps function (medical research council (MRC) motor power of at least 4/5) will be randomized to receive IPC vs dummy intervention (Sham) and triceps performance will be assessed. It is hypothesised that IPC is well-tolerated and results in improvements in triceps contraction performance.
All participants will be identified by Spinal Injuries consultant from the outpatient clinic at the Spinal Injuries Centre in Sheffield. Participation will involve an additional 3 hours of patients' time.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/EM/0282
Date of REC Opinion
5 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion