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Squeeze a ball, lower your blood pressure? heart trial puts handgrip exercise to the test

NCT ID NCT06454487

Symptom relief Sponsor: London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute OR Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
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 Results may not be published yet.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 This study
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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing whether isometric handgrip training, squeezing an inflatable ball in a steady hold, can lower resting blood pressure in people doing cardiac rehabilitation from home. Adults with coronary artery disease who are cleared for exercise-based rehab join the study. Half are randomly assigned to add handgrip training three days a week for 12 weeks to their standard rehab, while the other half do standard rehab alone. Participants measure their own blood pressure and report it, and researchers interview them about how acceptable the handgrip routine is and survey them about mood and stress.

What this could mean

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

Active substance
isometric handgrip training with an inflatable ball
What this could lead to
If it works, people in cardiac rehabilitation could lower their blood pressure with a simple, low-cost handgrip routine they do at home. This could offer an easy add-on for those who cannot access or tolerate standard exercise programs.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early study, so the blood pressure benefit may turn out to be modest or not hold up in larger trials. Participants must stick to a 12-week routine on their own, and self-reported blood pressure readings can be less reliable than clinic measurements.

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.

Expected to start

Jul 2024

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Mar 2025

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

18 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: * Component adult (greater ≥ 18 years) who can provide informed consent. * Proficient in English (speaking, writing, and reading). * Medically cleared by the cardiac rehabilitation program to participate in exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation. * History of only coronary artery disease, the most common cardiovascular disease (CVD), which may include individuals with a previous myocardial infarction and/or procedure such as a percutaneous coronary intervention and/or coronary artery bypass grafting. * Minimum of "blue" level of technology capability (assigned by the cardiac rehabilitation program) indicating ability to use a phone and email for correspondence. Note: The majority of individuals who enroll in the cardiac rehabilitation program are assigned to this level. * No physical limitation(s) that would hinder the performance of isometric handgrip training. * Access to a blood pressure monitoring device to record at home measures. Exclusion Criteria: * If the participant does not meet the inclusion criteria (identified above). * Moreover if an individual has a history of a CVD or disease-related complications (e.g., heart failure, atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmias, aortic aneurysm, valve repair and/or replacement) and/or related procedures (e.g., placement of a pacemaker and/or implantable cardiac defibrillator) that is not coronary artery disease (as described in the inclusion criteria) they will be excluded. Note: Individuals may have other comorbidities.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

coronary artery disorder hypertensive disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Blood pressure Cardiac rehabilitation

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Hotel Dieu Grace Cardiac Rehabilitation

    Windsor, Ontario, Canada

  • St Joseph's Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention

    London, Ontario, N6A 4V2, Canada

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