Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT07805330

Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Rehabilitation on Functional Mobility and Balance Among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common lung disease causing restricted airflow and breathing problems. It is sometimes called emphysema or chronic bronchitis. The damage results in swelling and irritation, also called inflammation, inside the airways that limit airflow into and out of the lungs. BFR Rehabilitation is effective in improving functional mobility and balance among COPD patients.

Objective: To find out the effects of Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Rehabilitation on functional mobility and balance among COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) patients.

Methods: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study was conducted at Gulab Devi Hospital, Hameed Latif Hospital and Arif Memorial Teaching Hospital Lahore. Fifty patients of age 45-60 years with COPD were randomized into two groups. Allocation of patients in two equal groups by lottery method will be through random assignment. Group A was treated with controlled physical therapy while Group B was treated with BFR rehabilitation. Controlled treatment includes low intensity resistance exercises while BFR Rehabilitation includes use of a tourniquet with low intensity resistance exercises. All this information will be collected through a pulse oximeter. Berg Balance Scale will be used for balance and timed up and go test for functional mobility.

Recruiting

Interested in participating?

Request Info

Key information

Conditions

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Chronic Disease Disease Attributes Lung Diseases Lung Diseases, Obstructive Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive Respiratory Tract Diseases

Age range

20 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Arif Memorial Teaching Hospital

Lahore, 54900, Pakistan

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Aleena Waheed

CONTACT

[email protected]

03214883868

Harmeen Nadeem, Doctor of Physical Therapy

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Subjects who are clinically stable before study
  • Forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC)<70% and FEV1 ≥30% but <80% respectively
  • Subjects who will be willing to take part in this study

Exclusion criteria

  • Upper abdominal surgery
  • Lung cancer
  • Open fracture
  • Mental disorder
  • Active malignancy
  • Severe hypertension

Treatment and study plan

Resistance Exercise without tourniquet

Other

The control group performed the same above-mentioned resistance training without the pressure cuff under the supervision of physiotherapist.

Blood flow restriction resistance exercise

Other

Blood flow restriction resistance exercise (BFR-RE), or Kaatsu training, was developed by Dr. Yoshiaki Sato over 40 years ago. It uses a low load (15-30% 1-RM) to induce gains in muscle strength and mass. External pressure (~80% limb occlusion pressure, LOP) is applied via a tourniquet cuff to the proximal limb, restricting venous return while allowing partial arterial inflow, creating blood pooling in distal muscles. Training was supervised by BFR-certified physiotherapists using medium-sized cuffs, placed at the proximal thigh for a maximum of 10 minutes. Pressure was auto-adjusted to personalized LOP, inflated before the first set, maintained during rests, and deflated post-session. Each session trained a single limb, alternated on different days, 2-3 times/week. Exercises included isotonic knee extensions from 150° to 180°: 1 set of 30 reps, then 3 sets of 15 reps, with 30-second rests, at 1-2 sec/repetition, using sandbag resistance (15-30% 1-RM).

Primary outcomes

  1. Balance

    Time frame: Pre intervention and 4 weeks post intervention

    Balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), a widely used clinical tool that evaluated functional balance through 14 tasks of varying difficulty. Each task was scored from 0-4, with a maximum score of 56. Higher scores indicated better balance, while lower scores reflected greater fall risk.

  2. Oxygen Saturation

    Time frame: Pre intervention and 4 weeks post intervention

    Oxygen saturation reflects the percentage of haemoglobin carrying oxygen, normally ranging between 95-100% in healthy individuals.

  3. Respiratory rate

    Time frame: Pre-intervention and 4 weeks post-intervention

    Respiratory rate will be measured using a pulse oximeter and recorded as the number of breaths taken per minute.

  4. Heart Rate

    Time frame: Pre-intervention and 4 weeks post-intervention

    Heart rate will be measured using a pulse oximeter and recorded as the number of heartbeats per minute.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Aleena Waheed, Masters in Physical Therapy

CONTACT

[email protected]

03214883868

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Rashid Latif Medical College

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Rehabilitation on Functional Mobility and Balance Among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Sep 4, 2026
Registry last updated
Sep 4, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.