Moderate-Intensity Treadmill Walking With Blood Flow Restriction Improves Pulmonary Volumes in Older Adults

NCT07694349 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 196-2025
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 14
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This quasi-experimental pilot study evaluated the effect of 12 months of moderate-intensity treadmill walking with blood flow restriction (BFR) on pulmonary function in 14 trained older women. Participants were allocated to either a BFR group (30-40% arterial occlusion pressure) or a control group without BFR. Both groups completed the same aerobic exercise program three times per week. The BFR group showed significant improvements in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) and forced vital capacity (FVC), along with a reduction in resting heart rate, with no adverse events reported. These findings suggest that BFR is a safe and promising strategy to optimize respiratory function in older adults.

Conditions

Older Women

Keywords

Physically trained; rehabilitation; elderly people; respiratory sarcopenia

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second (FEV₁)

  Assessed by spirometry to determine changes in pulmonary function from baseline to 12 months of intervention. FEV₁ was expressed in liters (L) and compared between the blood flow restriction group and the control group.

  Baseline and 12 months (although quarterly assessments were performed, the primary analysis was based on pre- and post-intervention measurements).

Study Arms (2)

Brazo experimental:

EXPERIMENTAL

Aerobic treadmill training combined with blood flow restriction (30-40% of arterial occlusion pressure).

Device: Blood Flow Restriction

Brazo comparador/control:

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Aerobic treadmill training without blood flow restriction.

Other: Aerobic training

Interventions

Blood Flow Restriction DEVICE

Blood flow restriction was applied using 108 × 10 cm pneumatic cuffs (BodyPro®, Kinemax®) positioned at the proximal region of both thighs, approximately three finger-widths below the gluteal fold. Occlusion pressure was set at 30-40% of each participant's arterial occlusion pressure, which was determined using sphygmomanometry and an 8-MHz vascular Doppler probe placed over the posterior tibial artery. Blood flow restriction was maintained continuously throughout the treadmill walking sessions based on the modified Bruce protocol. The intervention lasted 12 months and was performed three times per week.

Brazo experimental:

Aerobic training OTHER

Participants completed the same modified Bruce treadmill walking program, matched for frequency and duration, without blood flow restriction.

Brazo comparador/control:

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years - 80 Years
• Gender Eligibility Details: the target population was to compare only women
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Women aged 60 to 80 years without a diagnosis of chronic non-communicable diseases.
• Physically active individuals.
• At least 3 consecutive months of participation in structured exercise programs.
• Weekly physical activity volume ≥ 180 minutes, assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ).

You may not qualify if:

• Use of ergogenic aids.
• Current smoking habit.
• Diagnosis of cardiometabolic diseases.
• Presence of neurological disorders or musculoskeletal impairments affecting the lower extremities.
• Peripheral vascular diseases.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidad Santo Tomas, Chile: lead

Study Sites (1)

Clinica Oces

Santiago, 8320000, Chile

Location

Related Publications (1)

• No publications are currently available for this study protocol.

  RESULT

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Blood Flow Restriction Therapy

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Exercise Therapy; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Physical Therapist Researcher

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 10, 2026
• First Posted: July 9, 2026
• Study Start: January 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: January 25, 2025
• Study Completion: March 2, 2026
• Last Updated: July 9, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF

Locations

CL (1)