Additional Effects of Pilates Breathing and Diaphragmatic Breathing Combined With Moderate Intensity Continuous Cycling Training on Blood Pressure, Chest Expansion, Pulmonary Function and Quality Of Life in Patients With Hypertension

NCT07529834 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: FUCP/CTR/2026/03
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 45
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Hypertension or high blood pressure is defined as when the pressure in the blood vessels is too high. According to Joint National Committee 8 (JNC 8) Guidelines, hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure level of more than ≥ 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg. This study aims to study the combined effects of Pilates breathing, Diaphragmatic breathing and Moderate Intensity Continuous Cycling Training on blood pressure, chest expansion, pulmonary function and quality of life. Aerobic physical activity moderate intensity continuous training: (55%- 70% of maximal heart rate (MHR), rate of perceived exertion (RPE) of 11-13 on the Borg scale) continuous training, known as MICT. Pilates breathing exercise enhances lung expansion by focusing on controlled rhythmic breathing methods involving respiratory muscles. Diaphragmatic breathing exercise is slow and controlled deep breathing that has important effects on respiratory system by the modulation of autonomic nervous system. Hypertensive patients will be selected for this study. The study will include three groups. One group will undergo Cycling training with Pilates breathing and the other group will undergo Cycling training with Diaphragmatic breathing and third group will undergo Cycling training only. Before initiating the intervention at the baseline, following outcome measures would be assessed for all the patients: Blood pressure, chest expansion, pulmonary function and quality of life.

Conditions

Hypertension

Keywords

Hypertension; Pilates Breathing; Diaphragmatic Breathing; Cycling training; Pulmonary Function; Chest expansion; Quality of life

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Blood Pressure (SBP and DBP)

  Evaluation will be performed using a sphygmomanometer to measure Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP). Measurements will be recorded in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) under standardized conditions after at least 5 minutes of seated rest. Two readings will be taken, and the average value will be used for analysis

  06 weeks

• Chest Expansion

  Evaluation will be performed by measuring chest expansion at the xiphoid level using a measuring tape. Chest circumference will be recorded in centimeters (cm) at maximum inspiration and maximum expiration, and chest expansion will be calculated as the difference between these two measurements. Higher values indicate greater chest wall mobility and improved respiratory function, whereas lower values indicate restricted chest expansion.

  06 weeks

• Pulmonary Function Test

  Evaluation will be performed using a spirometer device according to standard guidelines. The parameters assessed will include Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV₁), Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), and FEV₁/FVC ratio. Values will be recorded in liters (L) and as percentage of predicted values (%) based on age, sex, height, and ethnicity. Higher values of FEV₁ and FVC indicate better pulmonary function, while a higher FEV₁/FVC ratio indicates reduced airway obstruction and improved respiratory status.

  06 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Cycling training with Pilates breathing

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will perform moderate-intensity continuous cycling training with Pilates breathing exercise three times per week for six weeks.

Other: Pilates Breathing

Cycling training with diaphragmatic breathing

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will perform moderate-intensity continuous cycling training combined with diaphragmatic breathing exercise three times per week for six weeks.

Other: Diaphragmatic Breathing

Cycling training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will perform moderate-intensity continuous cycling training only, three times per week for six weeks.

Other: Cycling Training (Moderate-intensity continuous training)

Interventions

Pilates Breathing OTHER

Controlled lateral breathing technique focusing on rib cage expansion and core activation performed for 10-15 minutes. A 06 weeks protocol will be followed.

Cycling training with Pilates breathing

Diaphragmatic Breathing OTHER

Slow deep breathing emphasizing diaphragmatic movement performed for 10-15 minutes. A 06 weeks protocol will be followed.

Cycling training with diaphragmatic breathing

Cycling Training (Moderate-intensity continuous training) OTHER

Moderate-intensity continuous cycling training performed at 60-79% of maximum heart rate for 20-35 minutes, three sessions per week for six weeks.

Cycling training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 20 Years - 55 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Medically diagnosed patients having Stage 1 hypertension(SBP;140-159 mmHg,DBP:90-99mmHg) and Stage 2 -hypertension(SBP:≥160mmHg,DBP:≥100mmHg) according to JNC 8 Guidelines, referred by a medical specialist or GP or cardiologist from FFH or clinical setups or Hospitals of Rawalpindi/Islambad
• Patients who are on antihypertensive medications for at least 3 months before study.
• Age ranging from 20-55 years
• Both male and female patients.
• Patients who are willing to participate in exercise regime and are able to -provide informed consent, have not been a part of any exercise regime from the last 6 months and well tolerated for exercise after being screened through PAR-Q+

You may not qualify if:

• Patients with Stage 3 hypertension (SBP: ≥180 mmHg or DBP: ≥110 mmHg) and above hypertension according to JNC 8 Guidelines or Hypertensive Crisis etc.
• Patients with any severe knee or other orthopedic conditions that can limit exercise performance
• Patients with uncontrolled hypertension
• History of any abdominal, orthopedic or spinal surgery that could interfere with core or breathing exercise
• Neurological or psychiatric disorders
• Uncontrolled cardiovascular conditions such as arrhythmias or recent myocardial infarction
• Pregnant women

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Foundation University Islamabad: lead

Study Sites (1)

Foundation University, Islamabad

Islamabad, Pakistan

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hypertension

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases

Central Study Contacts

Saba Rehman, MSPT-CPT

CONTACT

03295200871; sabarehman278@gmail.com

Sana Bashir, PhD*

CONTACT

+923218529475; drsana.bashir@fui.edu.pk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Masking Details: Participants will be blinded to the allocation of intervention groups. Rndomization will be performed using sealed envelop method to ensure allocation concealment
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: This is a randomized controlled trial having three groups. One group (interventional group) wil perform Pilates breathing along with moderate-intensity continuous cycling training, and the second group (experimental group) will perform diaphragmatic breathing along with moderate-intensity continuous cycling training, and the third group (control group) will perform only moderate-intensity continuous cycling training

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 27, 2026
• First Posted: April 14, 2026
• Study Start: January 12, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 15, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 15, 2026
• Last Updated: April 14, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Locations

PA (1)