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CompletedNCT04345211MTBEWUpdated May 11, 2023

Manual Therapy, Thera-band Exercise and Walking

An interventional study of Group1, walking group and Group 2, Walking plus manual therapy in Aging, sponsored by University of Valencia. Completed at 1 site in Spain. Open to participants aged 60 Years to 85 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-05-11.

Sponsored by University of Valencia · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
200
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
60 Years to 85 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Worldwide, the number of older adults is expected to more than double by 2050 and more than triple by 2100, with most of the increase in developing countries. This situation has become a challenge to health professions such as physical therapy, since aging involves a gradual reduction in the capacity to adapt and an increase in vulnerability to health issues such as chronic non-communicable diseases and musculoskeletal disorders. The respiratory system, as the rest of the body, is exposed to both physiological aging and disease. According to the World Health Organization , respiratory diseases such as trachea, bronchi, or lung cancer, lower respiratory tract infections, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are found in the third, fifth, and sixth cause of death, respectively, among the top ten.

Therefore, bronchopulmonary and thoracic pathology constitutes an important problem for Public Health, both due to the high number of affected subjects and to their potential severity For this reason, the recommendations of the European, North American and national societies, highlight, among other aspects, the importance of the prevention of these diseases. They also insist on the need to maintain the integrity of the thoraco-abdominal anatomical elements and preventive treatment in those at risk, before symptoms appear. These recommendations together with the change of perspective that is being taken into account when treating aging have led to the fact that in the last decade more research has been started on the respiratory system in older people without respiratory problems.

The aim of this trial is to investigate whether manual therapy, elastic band exercise or walking can mitigate the effects of age-related changes in lung function in adults over 60 years old. Also whether there is a difference in effect between the different forms of therapy.

Read the detailed description

Study design A 4-week program will be implemented with sessions 2 days a week, 45-60 minutes per session. It would be convenient for each group to have 30 participants each. Group1: walking group. 40 minutes walking with supervision of the physiotherapist. 2 times per week.; Group 2: walking (40 minutes) plus self-administered thorax manual therapy (20 minutes). It will be applied in group and supervised by a physiotherapist. 2 times per week.; Group 3: walking (40 minutes) plus thorax exercises with elastic-band (20 minutes). It will be applied in group and supervised by a physiotherapist. 2 times per week.;Group 4: control group will do usual life and assessments as the rest of the groups.

Oucome measures Pulmonary function: pulmonary function evaluation via forced spirometry dynamic lung volumes (forced vital capacity, FVC; forced expired volume at 1 second, FEV1). Chest wall expansion: A measuring tape is used to measure chest expansion in centimetres (cm) at two levels of the rib cage: upper chest expansion and lower chest. Exercise tolerance: 6 Six Minute Walk Test. Smoking Index. The smoking index is a unit for measuring cigarettes consumption over a long period. Musculoskeletal Pain: visual analog scale. The pain VAS is a unidimensional measure of pain intensity, which has been widely used in diverse adult populations. Perception of change after treatment: Patient Global Impression of Improvement. Quality of life. Trigger points pain: by algometer. Change in thorax position: Distance between acromion-bed. Functional capacity: Sit-to-stand. Frailty: FRAIL Questionnaire. Motivation and self-efficacy: Participation motives are measured with the Exercise Motivation Index.

02

Conditions studied

  • Aging
03

In context

Lead sponsor

University of Valencia is the lead sponsor of 349 studies on the registry; 73 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
60 Years to 85 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Adults between 60-85 years old.
  • Male and female
  • No history of respiratory or cardiac disease
  • Currently non-smoking (> 6 months)
  • Willingness to provide written consent
  • Willingness to participate in and comply with study requirements

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Adults over 85 years old.
  • History of respiratory pathology.
  • History of cardiac pathology.
  • Inability to walk unaided and unassisted
  • Acute pain on thoracic joint range of motion testing
  • Contra-indicated for thoracic mobilisation and/or manipulation (physical screening examination)
  • Inability to provide informed consent, e.g. people with a cognitive impairment, intellectual disability or mental illness
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Factorial assignment
Masking
Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
200 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    Group1 (G1): walking group

    All walks will be done immediately after the MT and TB intervention, as this has been shown to improve the synergistic effect of combining the two interventions. The walking sessions will be organized twice a week. The walking sessions will begin with a 10-minute warm-up. After warming up, you will take a continuous walk for 10-20 min, at a target intensity of 13 ("somewhat difficult") on the Borg scale. Using the Borg scale, which ranges from 6 to 20, participants will be asked to walk at an intensity of 13 (perception of "somewhat difficult" activity). Each session will be completed with a 10 minute cool down period. The objectives of Walinking will be individualized according to the level of physical condition of each participant. The walking group will include a weekly walking goal of 75 minutes.

    Other: Group1, walking group

  • Active comparator
    Group 2 (G2): walking plus manual therapy

    Walking as previously described plus a self-administered manual chest therapy: - Neurolymphatic points pressure: Participants will be placed in a neutral position and their arms next to their bodies. They are asked to take a conscious breath. The physical therapist will apply firm, direct rotary pressure through the thumb or fingertip for 1 minute from the T1 transverse processes to the T12 transverse processes. Suboccipital decompression / mobilization, slippage of the cervical vertebral joints (anterior / posterior), myofascial release of sternocleidomastoid and trapezius, slippage of the sternoclavicular joint (anterior / posterior direction), myofascial release of intercostal muscles and paravertebral muscles (anterior rib mobilization, posterior, lateral), mobilization of the scapulothoracic joint, diaphragmatic release.

    Other: Group 2, Walking plus manual therapy

  • Active comparator
    Group 3 (G3): walking plus thorax exercises with Theraband.

    Walking as previously described plus a self-administered exercises with elastic-band. The exercises will include chest and arms exercises in sitting position.

    Other: Group 3; Walking plus exercises with Theraband

  • No intervention
    Group 4 (G4): control group

    Control group will do usual life and assessments as the rest of the groups.

Interventions

  • OtherGroup1, walking group

    The walking group includes a weekly walking goal of 75 minutes.

  • OtherGroup 2, Walking plus manual therapy

    Walking plus self-administered thorax manual therapy

  • OtherGroup 3; Walking plus exercises with Theraband

    Walking plus thorax exercises with Theraband

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Pulmonary function

    pulmonary function evaluation via forced spirometry dynamic lung volumes (forced vital capacity, FVC; forced expired volume at 1 second, FEV1).

    Time frame: 4-8 week

Secondary outcomes

  1. Chest expansion

    A measuring tape is used to measure chest expansion in centimetres (cm) at two levels of the rib cage: upper chest expansion and lower chest.

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  2. Exercise tolerance

    6 Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT). The object of this test is to walk as far as possible for 6 minutes. The patient will walk back and forth around the cones in a hallway and is permitted to slow down, to stop, and to rest as necessary (but resume walking as soon as able).

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  3. Smoking

    The smoking index is a unit for measuring cigarettes consumption over a long period and was calculated using the following formula: Smoking index = Cigarettes Smoked per Day (CPD)× years of tobacco use. Smoking index categories were non-smoker, \<400, 400-799, and ≥800. The CPD was estimated for current and former smokers. We defined heavy smoking as ≥20 CPD and mild smoking as \<20 CPD. The smoking index is a unit for measuring cigarettes consumption over a long period and was calculated using the following formula: Smoking index = Cigarettes Smoked per Day (CPD)× years of tobacco use. Smoking index categories were non-smoker, \<400, 400-799, and ≥800. The CPD was estimated for current and former smokers. We defined heavy smoking as ≥20 CPD and mild smoking as \<20 CPD.

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  4. Musculoskeletal Pain

    visual analog scale (VAS). The pain VAS is a unidimensional measure of pain intensity, which has been widely used in diverse adult populations.

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  5. Perception of change after treatment

    By Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGIC).

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  6. Perception of Quality of life

    By SF-8 scale. The SF-8 consists of 8 items comprising 8 dimensions (Bodily Pain, Perceptions, Mental Health, Physical Function, Role-physical, Role-emotional, Social Function, and Vitality). To assess each dimension, items are aggregated into a score ranging from 0 to 100; being higher scores indicators of good health.

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  7. Trigger points pain

    By algometer. Pressure was applied perpendicular to the skin, at a speed of 30kPa/s. Three measurements with 1 minute between measurements were averaged.

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  8. Change in thorax position

    Distance between acromion-bed.To assess the position of the upper trunk, the length of the pectoralis minor in the supine position is evaluated by measuring the distance between the posterior edge of the acromion and the stretcher while the patients remain in that position.

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  9. Functional capacity

    By Sit-to-stand test. Participants sit in a 43 cm tall armless chair (Fig. 1) as quickly as possible 5 times. Participants cross their arms over their chest and are instructed to fully stand up and make firm contact when sitting. Time begins with the "go" command and ends when participants sit down after the fifth stand-up.

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  10. Frailty

    By FRAIL Questionnaire. The FRAIL scale are short 5-question assessment of fatigue, resistance, aerobic capacity, illnesses, and loss of weight, classified the patients into 3 categories: robust (score = 0), prefrail (score = 1-2), and frail (score = 3-5).

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  11. Motivation and self-efficacy

    Participation motives are measured with the Exercise Motivation Index. The questionnaire consists of 15 statements followed by a five-point rating scale for each statement, ranging from 0 (not important) to 4 (extremely important). Although the authors found that the index was valid and reliable, they advise that further validation be made. Three subscores (0-4) were calculated by summing the scores for physical, psychological, and social motivation and dividing them by the number of statements for each area (Stenström, 1997; Klompstra, 2015) Cronbach's alpha was 0.889.

    Time frame: 4-8 week

  12. Screening sarcopenia

    Screening sarcopenia: SARC-F. There are 5 components of SARC-F questionnaire: strength, assistance with walking, rise from a chair, climb stairs, and fall. The SARC-F scores range from 0 to 10, with 0 to 2 points for each component. A score ≥4 is predictive of sarcopenia and poor outcomes.

    Time frame: 4-8 week

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Gemma Espí
    Valencia, 46010, Spain
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 11, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04345211
Lead sponsor
University of Valencia
Responsible party
GEMMA V ESPÍ LÓPEZ, PhD (Principal Investigator, University of Valencia) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 14, 2020
Start date
Oct 25, 2021
Primary completion
Jan 30, 2022
Completion
Apr 28, 2023
Last update
May 11, 2023

Study contacts

Gemma V Espí-López, Dr
principal investigator · Faculty of Physiotherapy. University of Valencia

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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