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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06515054

Isometric Exercise for Hypertension

Background: Isometric resistance exercises (IREs) have great potential to improve blood pressure (BP) control.

Methods: This is a pilot randomized controlled trial that will involve 50 patients with hypertension (HT) who do not meet the current physical activity guidelines defined by the World Health Organization. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio using stratified and blocked randomization to either the IRE (wall squat) group or stretching exercise (active control) group. A well-structured, widely accepted, and validated 24-week wall squat program (2 minutes per exercise, 2 minutes of rest between sets, and 3 sessions per week) will be implemented, as it has been commonly used in previous research. All patients will be followed up for 24 weeks. Control group will receive exact same treatment except that IRE is replaced by frequency-matched and time-matched stretching exercise. The primary outcome measure will be rate of recruitment. Secondary outcomes will include BP parameters from 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring

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Key information

Conditions

Hypertension Cardiovascular Diseases Vascular Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

School of public health and primary care

Hong Kong

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • a suboptimal daytime SBP of >135-160 mmHg on a 24-h ABPM
  • reported no regular physical activity or less than that recommended for adults by the World Health Organization (e.g. <150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week);
  • on stable doses of anti-HT medication(s) for ≥4 weeks if the patient is receiving drug treatments
  • agree for no drug changes during the intervention period (24 weeks);

Exclusion criteria

  • cannot provide informed consent
  • unwillingness to repeat ABPM
  • relative contraindications to ABPM (i.e. diagnosed atrial fibrillation, nighttime workers, occupational drivers, or patients with bleeding tendencies)
  • severe osteoarthritis pending knee replacement surgery
  • known secondary HT
  • use of ≥3 anti-HT medications at maximum doses or ≥4 anti-HT medications
  • SBP or DBP are >160 mmHg or >100 mmHg, respectively, on ABPM
  • pregnancy/breastfeeding
  • active malignancy

Treatment and study plan

wall squat

Behavioral

self-learnt wall squat exercise to be conducted for totally 24 weeks

passive stretching

Behavioral

time-matched passive stretching exercise to be conducted for totally 24 weeks

Primary outcomes

  1. rate of recruitment

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    number of people recruited per month

Secondary outcomes

  1. Blood pressure parameters

    Time frame: 24-week after recruitment

    24-hour, daytime and nighttime blood pressure from 24-hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurement

  2. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity

    Time frame: 24-week after recruitment

    analysed by applanation tonometry using SphygmoCor (AtCor Medical Pty Ltd) with the accompanying SphygmoCor Software Suite (SphygmoCor System)

  3. flow-mediated velocity (FMD)

    Time frame: 24-week after recruitment

    FMD will be performed using a high-resolution linear artery transducer couple with a software (FMD suite, Quipu, Italy) that automatically detect and measure the brachial artery diameter and will be performed according to international guidelines

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Effectiveness and Mechanisms of Isometric Resistance Exercise to Reduce Blood Pressure in a Chinese Population: a Pilot Randomized-controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Jul 23, 2024
Registry last updated
Dec 16, 2025

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.

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