Prehabilitative Exercise Prior to Immobilization

Launched by BISPEBJERG HOSPITAL · Jan 3, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "Prehabilitative Exercise Prior to Immobilization," is studying how exercise before a period of not using a limb (immobilization) can help protect against muscle loss, particularly in people with conditions like sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) and disuse atrophy (muscle wasting from lack of use). The study will involve 48 healthy participants, split into two age groups: younger adults (ages 20-35) and older adults (ages 65-85). Half of the participants will do heavy resistance exercise for four weeks before their knee is immobilized for 7-10 days, followed by more exercise for another four weeks.

To be eligible for this trial, you must be between 20-35 or 65-85 years old, have a healthy body weight (BMI between 18.5 and 35), and be generally well without serious medical issues. You should not be involved in regular strength training or sports, and there are some additional health conditions that would exclude you from participating. If you join, you can expect to take part in a structured exercise program and have your muscle health monitored throughout the study. This research could help us understand if exercising before immobilization can help maintain muscle strength and health.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Age: Between 20-35 years old or between 65-85 years old.
• • BMI: Between 18.5 and 35 kg/m2.
• • Healthy and well, with normal dietary habits (not vegan).
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • More than one muscle biopsy previously taken from both vastus lateralis muscles.
• • Smoking.
• • Pregnancy.
• • Past or present substance or alcohol abuse.
• • Medical/surgical conditions that are assessed to affect protein synthesis or the participant's involvement in the trial.
• • Knee pain that could affect the completion of the training intervention.
• • High intake of supplements that increase the risk of bleeding during muscle biopsy (such as fish oil and ginger).
• • Participation in regular strength training within the past year.
• • Regular participation in structured sports.
• • Current use of blood-thinning medication.
• • Previous participation in trials involving oral intake of heavy water.
• • Metal in the body preventing MRI scanning.
• • For the older group, not having gone through menopause, and for the younger group, not having a regular menstrual cycle.