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Walking with a twist: could blood flow cuffs rebuild strength after stroke?

NCT ID NCT06974461

Disease control Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether a special walking program using blood flow restriction (BFR) cuffs can improve muscle strength and physical function in people who have had a stroke and also have sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss). Participants will walk on a treadmill with cuffs on their thighs that partially restrict blood flow, while a comparison group does the same walking with sham cuffs. The study aims to see if this approach can boost muscle strength, muscle mass, and quality of life in chronic stroke survivors.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Blood flow restriction (BFR) walking - a supervised treadmill program with pressure cuffs on the thighs to partially restrict blood flow during exercise.
What this could lead to
If effective, this approach could offer a safe, practical way to improve muscle strength and physical function in stroke survivors with sarcopenia, potentially enhancing their independence and quality of life.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial (64 participants) and the results may not apply to all stroke patients. BFR training carries risks like muscle soreness or rare blood clots, and the sham comparison helps test if benefits are real.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 64 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Sep 2025

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

50 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed with chronic stroke (≥6 months post-stroke) * Sarcopenia will be diagnosed using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2025 criteria, defined as the concurrent presence of low muscle strength and low appendicular skeletal muscle mass. Muscle strength will be assessed using handgrip strength measured on the non-paretic side. Low muscle strength will be defined as handgrip strength \<28 kg for men and \<18 kg for women aged ≥65 years, and \<34 kg for men and \<20 kg for women aged 50-64 years. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass will be measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis, and the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index will be calculated as appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by height squared. Low muscle mass will be defined as an appendicular skeletal muscle mass index \<7.0 kg/m² for men and \<5.7 kg/m² for women aged ≥65 years, and \<7.6 kg/m² for men and \<5.7 kg/m² for women aged 50-64 years. Exclusion Criteria: * Stroke occurred within the past 6 months * Resting systolic blood pressure \> 200 mmHg * Resting diastolic blood pressure \> 100 mmHg * Presence of implanted electronic or metallic devices that interfere with blood flow restriction cuffs * Contraindication to bioelectrical impedance analysis (e.g., pacemaker, ICD)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Sarcopenia stroke disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Chronic stroke patients Sarcopenia

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    NOT_YET_RECRUITING

    Hung Hom, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong

  • Hong Kong Polytechnic University

    RECRUITING

    Hung Hom, Kowloon, 999077, Hong Kong

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