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NCT Number: NCT06132334

The Effects of Upper Extremity Aerobic Exercise Training in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia that occurs as a result of any disorder in insulin secretion or insulin activity. Regular physical activity is important in preventing and managing this disease.

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Key information

Conditions

Type2diabetes Behavior Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 Endocrine System Diseases Glucose Metabolism Disorders Metabolic Diseases Motor Activity Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Gazi University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Clinic

Çankaya, Ankara, 06560, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

T2DM causes significant mortality and morbidity, increases healthcare costs, and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Due to the rapid increase in the number of individuals with diabetes, preventing and controlling this disease and living with diabetes is important. In patients with T2DM, pulmonary functions decrease in relation to glycemic control and disease duration. Decrease in cardiorespiratory fitness can lead to cardiovascular mortality. Cardiovascular mortality increases as exercise capacity decreases. Although the determinants of exercise intolerance in diabetes are not fully understood, a number of abnormalities in pulmonary diffusion capacity, maximum cardiac output, blood oxygen capacity and skeletal muscle properties cause exercise tolerance. Peripheral factors such as skeletal muscles also affect exercise intolerance. Insufficient oxygen use in skeletal muscles is considered one of the causes of exercise intolerance in T2DM patients. To reduce the cardiovascular mortality rate and risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, physical activity level is important in T2DM patients, as in all populations. Maintaining physical activity level plays a protective role against both T2DM and cardiovascular disease. But traditional exercise training guides generally focus on walking exercises. Because exercises in this form are frequently used in daily life activities. It is known that upper extremity movements are frequently used in daily living activities, and aerobic exercise using the upper extremities is thought to be safe and effective in these patients due to diabetic foot complications. There is no study in the literature investigating the effects of upper extremity aerobic exercise training in T2DM.

The primary aim of the study is to investigate the effects of upper extremity aerobic exercise training applied to T2DM patients on exercise capacity, muscle oxygenation and physical activity level.

The secondary aim of the study is to investigate its effects on upper extremity functional exercise capacity, dual task performance, respiratory functions, respiratory muscle strength and endurance, peripheral muscle strength, shortness of breath, fatigue, depression, anxiety, sleep and quality of life.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosed with T2DM,
  • Aged between 18-65 years,
  • Able to walk and cooperate,
  • Patients who volunteer to participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

  • Body mass index >40 kg/m2,
  • A known lung disease,
  • Serious neurological, neuromuscular, orthopedic, or other diseases affecting physical functions,
  • Cognitive impairment that causes them to have difficulty understanding and following exercise test instructions,
  • Having had any cardiac event or surgery in the last six months,
  • Participated in a planned exercise program within the last three months,
  • Uncontrolled hypertension,
  • An acute pulmonary exacerbation within the last 4 weeks, have an acute upper or lower respiratory tract infection,
  • Presence of diabetes complications such as nephropathy, retinopathy and severe neuropathy,
  • Contraindications for exercise testing and/or exercise training according to the American College of Sports Medicine.

Treatment and study plan

Upper extremity aerobic exercise training

Other

Aerobic exercise training will be given to the training group on an arm ergometer 3 days in a week and 30-45 minutes a day for 6 weeks with the assistance of a physiotherapist. The training workload of aerobic exercise training will be applied at 50-80% of peak oxygen consumption or 60-80% of peak heart rate, dyspnea 3-4 points according to the Modified Borg Scale (MBS) or fatigue 4-6 points.

Blood sugar measurement will be performed before exercise training. Individuals with a blood sugar result of >300 mg/dL will not be allowed to exercise that day.

Control Group

Other

The control group will not be given any training during the 6-week period. After the study, the treatment applied to the training group will also be applied to the control group in order to ensure that the patients in the control group are not ethically deprived of rehabilitation.

Primary outcomes

  1. Oxygen consumption

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Maximum exercise capacity will be assessed by symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise testing on a treadmill at gradually increasing speed and degree, and oxygen consumption will be measured during the test.

  2. Muscle oxygenation

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Before the cardiopulmonary exercise test and the 6-minute pegboard and ring test (6-PBRT), during and after the tests the muscle oxygenation will be measured by using a near-infrared spectroscopy device.

  3. Physical activity level

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    A multi-sensor activity monitor will be used to assess the level of physical activity

Secondary outcomes

  1. Upper extremity functional exercise capacity

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    It will be evaluated with a 6-minute pegboard and ring test. At the end of six minutes, the total number of rings inserted will be recorded in numbers.

  2. Pulmonary function (Forced vital capacity (FVC))

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Pulmonary function will be evaluated with the spirometry. Dynamic lung volume measurements will be made according to American Thoracic Society (ATS) and European Respiratory Society (ERS) criteria. With the device, forced vital capacity (FVC) will be evaluated.

  3. Pulmonary function (Forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1))

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Pulmonary function will be evaluated with the spirometry. Dynamic lung volume measurements will be made according to ATS and ERS criteria. With the device, forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) will be evaluated.

  4. Pulmonary function (FEV1 / FVC)

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Pulmonary function will be evaluated with the spirometry. Dynamic lung volume measurements will be made according to ATS and ERS criteria. With the device, FEV1 / FVC will be evaluated.

  5. Pulmonary function (Flow rate 25-75% of forced expiratory volume (FEF 25-75%))

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Pulmonary function will be evaluated with the spirometry. Dynamic lung volume measurements will be made according to ATS and ERS criteria. With the device, flow rate 25-75% of forced expiratory volume (FEF 25-75%) will be evaluated.

  6. Pulmonary function (Peak flow rate (PEF))

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Pulmonary function will be evaluated with the spirometry. Dynamic lung volume measurements will be made according to ATS and ERS criteria. With the device, peak flow rate (PEF) will be evaluated.

  7. Dual task performance

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    The test consists of 3 parts. Cognitive task, motor task and dual task will be evaluated. Patients will perform the Timed up and go (TUG) task as a single motor task. For the dual task, participants will be asked to perform the TUG test while counting down in increments of 3, starting from 100.As a single cognitive task, the individual will be asked to count down the specified number in increments of 3, while sitting comfortably in a quiet room, for the duration of the single task TUG. The total number of answers and the number of correct answers will be used to calculate the correct response rate as an indicator of cognitive performance during the dual task.

  8. Respiratory Muscle Strength

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Maximal inspiratory (MIP) and maximal expiratory (MEP) pressures expressing respiratory muscle strength were measured using a portable mouth pressure measuring device according to American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society criteria

  9. Respiratory Muscle Endurance

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Respiratory muscle endurance will be assessed by the POWERbreathe Wellness (POWERbreathe, Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) Technologies Ltd., Birmingham, UK) device and the respiratory muscle endurance test at increased threshold load.

  10. Peripheral muscle strength (N)

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Shoulder flexion muscles and Quadriceps femoris muscle strength will be measured by using a hand-held dynamometer. This values is expressed in Newtons (N).

  11. Dyspnea in daily life

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    "Modified Medical Research Council" dyspnea scale will be used to question dyspnea perception during activities. This scale is a 5-point scale based on rating various physical activities that increase shortness of breath. The lowest and highest values on this scale are as follows: Level 0 "No shortness of breath except strenuous exercise" and level 4 "Too breathless to leave the house or breathless while dressing or undressing."

  12. Fatigue

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Fatigue will be assessed with Fatigue Severity Scale (Turkish version). This scale includes 9 items and each item scores from 1 (strong disagreement) to 7 (strong agreement) point. Fatigue Severity Scale total score is calculates by deriving an arithmetic mean. Cut-score of over 4 means significant fatigue and higher score indicates more severe fatigue.

  13. Anxiety and Depression

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    The Turkish version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) will be used. HADS score ranges from 0-42. A high score indicates increased levels of anxiety and depression.

  14. Sleep Quality

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    It will be evaluated with the Turkish version of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (EDS). The scale is designed to evaluate the sleepiness level of individuals during the day and is widely used. Total score is between 0-24. The range specified for normal sleep tendency is considered to be 0-10 points. Sleep is disrupted with a score of 11 points or above.

  15. Life quality

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Quality of life will be evaluated with the Turkish adaptation of the Diabetes Quality of Life Scale (DQOL). The scale is calculated out of 0-100 points. High scores indicate good quality of life.

  16. Diabetes symptoms

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    It will be evaluated with the Diabetes Symptoms Checklist Scale ((DSC-R).The total score and all subscale scores on the scale range from 0 to 5, with higher scores indicating greater symptom burden.

  17. Dyspnea perception

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Modified Borg Scale: The Modified Borg scale is a subjective scale that scores 0-10 for breathlessness and fatigue at rest and/or during activity. The lowest 0 points "not at all" the highest 10 points "very severe" means shortness of breath.

  18. Peripheral muscle strength (%)

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    Shoulder flexion muscles and Quadriceps femoris muscle strength will be measured by using a hand-held dynamometer. This values is expressed as a percentage (%) of the expected value.

  19. Upper extremity functional exercise capacity (percentage of the expected value (%))

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 2 year

    It will be evaluated with a 6-minute pegboard and ring test.The total number of rings each participant is expected to wear will be calculated. The percentage of the number of rings made relative to the expected value will be expressed as a percentage of the expected value (%).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Gazi University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effects of Upper Extremity Aerobic Exercise Training on Exercise Capacity, Muscle Oxygen, and Physical Activity Level in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Nov 15, 2023
Registry last updated
Jan 2, 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.

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