An interventional study of Cognitive Muscular Therapy and Breathing visualisation in Long COVID and Respiratory Disease, sponsored by University of Salford. Completed at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-06.
Sponsored by University of Salford · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The aim of the study is to test a treatment known as "Cognitive Muscular Therapy (CMT)" for reducing breathlessness and improving autonomic function in patients with long-COVID.
A key symptom of long-COVID is dysfunctional breathing, characterised by an alteration in the muscular and mechanical control of breathing, such as altered movement/coordination of diaphragm and ribs. Long-COVID patients also experience symptoms such as dizziness and fatigue, which have been linked to dysautonomia (dysfunction of the nervous system controlling automatic body functions). Importantly, dysautonomia is connected to alterations in breathing mechanics. Specifically, rapid breathing, high in the chest, is associated with increased activity in the fight-or-flight system and decreased activity in the rest-and-repair system. Given this link, interventions capable of improving breathing mechanics could alleviate many long-COVID symptoms. However, current breathing retraining methods lack visualisation of breathing mechanics and do not integrate a whole-body approach to improving postural control.
We have developed a clinical system which can visualise breathing mechanics in real-time, providing patients with a "window into their body". We propose to integrate this system within a new intervention, known as Cognitive Muscular Therapy (CMT). CMT integrates psychological informed physiotherapy with training to reduce overactivation of postural muscles which can interfere with the mechanics of breathing. We propose to test this combined intervention on 20 people with Long-COVD to understand if we can improve respiratory function and symptoms associated with dysautonomia. If successful, this pilot study could pave the way for large-scale studies in long-COVID
604 studies on the registry are indexed under Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; 201 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 18 is below the median of 60 across 416 interventional studies indexed under Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome.
Browse Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome studies →University of Salford is the lead sponsor of 27 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
COPD
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Each participant will receive seven weekly sessions of Cognitive Muscular Therapy (CMT) + Breathing Visualisation at the University of Salford from an respiratory physiotherapist. This physiotherapist will have been trained to deliver the CMT intervention and will have at least three years' experience of working with patients with respiratory disorders. Each treatment session will last 45-60 mins. The CMT intervention comprises five components: Understanding long-COVID, general relaxation, postural deconstruction, contextual triggers and functional integration. Breathing Visualisation will be integrated into session 5, 6 and 7.
Behavioral: Cognitive Muscular Therapy · Behavioral: Breathing visualisation
Psychologically informed physiotherapy which integrates training to reduce overactivity of postural muscles which can interfere with the mechanics of breathing.
Breathing visualisation; Data from two 3D camera are combined and used to calculate respiratory volumes. These volumes are then used to drive an animation of breathing so that the patient can understand how their breathing pattern compares to an optimal pattern. Note this is not a medical device as data from this system is only used for education and not for diagnostic or treatment decisions.
Change in Nijmegen Questionnaire
Used to capture breathlessness symptoms associated with hyperventilation disorder. Score 0 - 60 (0 = no hyperventilation symptoms, 60 severe symptoms of hyperventilation).
Time frame: Change from Baseline to two months (post intervention) & change from Baseline to 5 months (post intervention)
Change in Modified COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRSm) scale
Used to capture breathlessness symptoms associated with long-COVID compared to pre-acute infection. Score 0 - 45 (0 = no long-COVID symptoms, 45 severe symptoms of long-COVID).
Time frame: Change from Baseline to two months (post intervention) & change from Baseline to 5 months (post intervention)
Change in Dyspnea-12 questionnaire
Used to capture breathlessness symptoms. Score 0 - 36 (0 = no breathlessness symptoms, 36 severe breathlessness).
Time frame: Change from Baseline to two months (post intervention) & change from Baseline to 5 months (post intervention)
Change in Self-evaluation of breathing questionnaire
Used to capture breathlessness symptoms associated with dysfunctional breathing. Score 0 - 75 (0 = no dysfunctional breathing symptoms, 60 severe symptoms of dysfunctional breathing).
Time frame: Change from Baseline to two months (post intervention) & change from Baseline to 5 months (post intervention)
Change in Composite Autonomic Symptom Score
Used to capture symptoms associated with autonomic dysfunction. 31 questions rating the symptoms associated with autonomic dysfunction.
Time frame: Change from Baseline to two months (post intervention) & change from Baseline to 5 months (post intervention)
Change in EQ-5D-5L
Used to capture an individual's quality of life through their ability to complete daily living activities. Each heading is rated from no problems through to unable to complete the task.
Time frame: Change from Baseline to two months (post intervention) & change from Baseline to 5 months (post intervention)
Change in WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (12-item)
Used to capture an individual's ability to perform daily living activities. Each point is rated from No difficulty performing a task to extreme difficulty/cannot complete the task.
Time frame: Change from Baseline to two months (post intervention) & change from Baseline to 5 months (post intervention)
Plan to share: No — no data sharing plan
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome →
University of Salford