NCT06561100

Brief Summary

Prescribed sub-symptomatic adaptable exercise treatment (SAET) is a potential solution that promotes recovery needs following a TBI. SAET has been shown to benefit the mind and body in ways that decrease the severity and frequency of mild TBI (mTBI) symptoms. This study aims to validate SAET as an alternative, adaptable treatment or SMs with mTBI that focuses on reducing symptoms, improving mental health, increasing physiological functioning, and ultimately returning to duty. The objective of this study is to develop a prescribed exercise treatment program for warfighters with mTBI that can be personalized for SM's needs (i.e., medical and occupational) and is adaptable to various clinical resources (e.g., forward operating bases, rural clinics, and mTBI specialty programs). The key question raised by this study is whether SAET is more effective than a stretching control group (SCG) in reducing neurobehavioral symptoms among SMs with persistent complaints following a mTBI.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
140

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
4mo left

Started Sep 2023

Typical duration for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress91%
Sep 2023Sep 2026

Study Start

First participant enrolled

September 27, 2023

Completed
9 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

June 21, 2024

Completed
2 months until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

August 19, 2024

Completed
2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

September 1, 2026

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

September 1, 2026

Last Updated

August 19, 2024

Status Verified

August 1, 2024

Enrollment Period

2.9 years

First QC Date

June 21, 2024

Last Update Submit

August 16, 2024

Conditions

Keywords

Progressive Return to ActivityWarfighter Readiness

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Neurobehavioral Symptom Change

    Change in the Neurobehavioral Symptoms Inventory (NSI) from pre- to post-SAET. Neurobehavioral symptoms will be assessed using the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) which captures multiple neurobehavioral symptoms including cognitive, somatosensory, vestibular, and affective. Furthermore, this 22 item self-report questionnaire is well validated in research studies on TBI in military populations, it has known reliability and validity, as well as guidelines for assessment of change.

    6 Months

Secondary Outcomes (4)

  • Cognitive Impairment Change

    6 Months

  • Maximal oxygen consumption

    6 Months

  • Warfighter readiness based on Combat Fitness Test

    6 Months

  • Change in level of occupational performance

    6 months

Study Arms (2)

Sub-symptomatic Adaptable Exercise Treatment (SAET)

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will attend two in-clinic sessions per week with either a licensed Physical Therapist or Exercise Physiologist and complete three sessions per week independently outside of the clinic. Each session will be 1 hour in duration, 5 days a week for 8 weeks, for a total of 40 hours. Participants will complete a combination of aerobic and resistance training exercises prescribed and adapted to the participant's personal needs based on evaluations by the Physical Therapist and Exercise Physiologist. Exercise will be adjusted to maintain sub-symptomatic levels, meaning that if a participant's neurobehavioral symptoms increase with activity, the intensity and/or exercise will be modified. Furthermore, participants will be asked to fill out an Exercise Habits Questionnaire (EHQ) in order to capture the exercises they are currently doing.

Behavioral: Sub-symptomatic Adaptable Exercise Treatment (SAET)

Stretching Control Group (SCG)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will attend two in-clinic sessions per week with either a licensed Physical Therapist or Exercise Physiologist and complete three sessions per week independently outside of the clinic. Each session will be 1 hour in duration, 5 days a week for 8 weeks, for a total of 40 hours. The stretching exercises are designed not to increase heart rate or have excessive head motion consist of static stretching and yoga based movements.

Behavioral: Stretching Control Group (SCG)

Interventions

Each workout will be structured in a similar format. The first 5 minutes will be devoted to stretching and warm up exercises. Then the next 20 minute segment devoted to light to moderate aerobic exercise. The second 20 minutes of each exercise session will be composed of a series of 5 predetermined exercises that rotate every day. Each workout will have one or two alternatives that the patient can complete either for modification to accommodate a physical limitation or to optimize preference. Resistance training each day will include multi-joint functional movements along with stability work. The last five minutes of the session will include more mobility work, and/or cooling down.

Sub-symptomatic Adaptable Exercise Treatment (SAET)

Each workout will be 50-60 minutes long and participants are instructed to not do any other type of exercise that may elevate their heart rate. Modifications will be available for stretches that may be too advanced for the individual.

Stretching Control Group (SCG)

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 55 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Active duty, male or female, ages 18 to 55
  • History of at least one mTBI sustained more than 1 month ago
  • Service members (SMs) with ongoing symptoms

You may not qualify if:

  • SMs who sustained a TBI of any severity within 1 month of enrollment
  • History of moderate, severe, or penetrating TBI
  • Current substance use disorder
  • History of a neurological disease (e.g., multiple sclerosis, cerebral vascular accident, brain tumor, neurodegenerative disease, or neuro-motor disorder)
  • An acute orthopedic injury that limits the capacity to complete study procedures

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Intrepid Spirit Center

Camp Pendleton, California, 92055, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Brain Concussion

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Injuries, TraumaticBrain InjuriesBrain DiseasesCentral Nervous System DiseasesNervous System DiseasesCraniocerebral TraumaTrauma, Nervous SystemHead Injuries, ClosedWounds and InjuriesWounds, Nonpenetrating

Study Officials

  • Jason M Bailie, Phd

    Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence (TBICoE)

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
SINGLE
Who Masked
OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Masking Details
Participants will be randomized into either the exercise or stretching condition in a 1:1 fashion. The outcome assessors will be blinded at all times while the intervention specialist (study trainers) will unblind themselves prior to the participants first intervention appointment.
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Model Details: Participants are randomized to one or more study arms and each study arm will be allocated a different intervention.
Sponsor Type
FED
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

June 21, 2024

First Posted

August 19, 2024

Study Start

September 27, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Last Updated

August 19, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-08

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

All surveys, questionnaires, and other instruments will be aligned with Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research Informatics System (FITBIR) when possible. FITBIR is a central repository for data from TBI studies built by the National Institute of Health and the Department of Defense.

Shared Documents
STUDY PROTOCOL
Time Frame
The data will be uploaded and available after study completion. IT is unsure for how long the data is available but FITBIR's confidentiality certificate is approved till 16 July 2032.
Access Criteria
In order to access FITBIR's data repository, an account has to be created in which access is then granted to the user.
More information

Locations