An interventional study of Buerger-Allen Exercise Program in Sedentary Behavior, Peripheral Circulation and Vascular Function, sponsored by Istanbul Gelisim University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 45 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-15.
Sponsored by Istanbul Gelisim University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
This study aims to evaluate the acute effects of Buerger-Allen exercises on lower extremity circulation in sedentary office workers. Prolonged sitting is associated with reduced venous return, impaired peripheral circulation, and endothelial dysfunction. Buerger-Allen exercises are simple position-based exercises designed to enhance arterial blood flow, venous return, and tissue perfusion. Thirty-five healthy sedentary adults aged 18 to 45 years will participate in this single-group pretest-posttest clinical trial. Skin surface temperature, capillary refill time, ankle-brachial index, peripheral oxygen saturation, and heart rate will be measured before and after a single 20-minute exercise session. The findings may support the use of Buerger-Allen exercises as a practical, low-cost physiotherapy strategy to improve peripheral circulation and reduce the adverse vascular effects of prolonged sitting.
Sedentary behavior and prolonged sitting are associated with impaired venous return, reduced peripheral blood flow, endothelial dysfunction, and increased cardiovascular risk. Office workers who remain seated for extended periods may experience lower extremity discomfort, edema, and early circulatory impairment.
Buerger-Allen exercises are position-based therapeutic exercises that involve sequential elevation, dependency, and horizontal rest of the lower limbs. These exercises are designed to promote arterial inflow, facilitate venous return, and enhance tissue perfusion without requiring specialized equipment. Previous studies have demonstrated beneficial effects in patients with peripheral vascular disease and diabetes, but evidence regarding their acute effects in healthy sedentary adults is limited.
This study will use a quasi-experimental single-group pretest-posttest design to investigate the immediate effects of Buerger-Allen exercises on lower extremity circulation in sedentary office workers. A total of 35 participants aged 18 to 45 years will be recruited from Istanbul Gelisim University. All participants will complete a standardized 20-minute Buerger-Allen exercise protocol.
Primary outcome measures will include skin surface temperature assessed with infrared thermometry, capillary refill time, ankle-brachial index, peripheral oxygen saturation, and heart rate. Measurements will be performed at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 10 minutes after the intervention.
The study is expected to provide evidence regarding the effectiveness of a simple and low-cost physiotherapy intervention for improving peripheral circulation and preventing the adverse vascular effects associated with prolonged sedentary behavior.
1,273 studies on the registry are indexed under Sedentary Behavior; 300 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 35 is below the median of 60 across 1,076 interventional studies indexed under Sedentary Behavior.
Browse Sedentary Behavior studies →Istanbul Gelisim University is the lead sponsor of 64 studies on the registry; 8 are open to participants now.
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You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will perform a single standardized 20-minute Buerger-Allen exercise session. Lower extremity circulatory parameters will be assessed before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and 10 minutes after the intervention.
Behavioral: Buerger-Allen Exercise Program
The intervention consists of a standardized Buerger-Allen exercise protocol involving three sequential positions: (1) elevation of the lower limbs above heart level to facilitate venous return, (2) dependency of the lower limbs to promote arterial blood flow, and (3) horizontal supine rest to stabilize circulation. The complete exercise session lasts approximately 20 minutes and is performed once. Lower extremity circulatory parameters are assessed at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 10 minutes after the intervention.
Skin Surface Temperature
Skin surface temperature measured with an infrared thermometer in degrees Celsius (°C). Higher values indicate increased peripheral blood flow and tissue perfusion.
Time frame: Baseline, Immediately After Intervention, and 10 Minutes After Intervention
Capillary Refill Time
Capillary refill time measured in seconds. Shorter times indicate improved peripheral microcirculation and tissue perfusion.
Time frame: Baseline, Immediately After Intervention, and 10 Minutes After Intervention
Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)
Ratio of ankle to brachial systolic blood pressure used to assess lower extremity arterial circulation. Higher values within the normal range indicate better arterial perfusion.
Time frame: Baseline, Immediately After Intervention, and 10 Minutes After Intervention
Peripheral Oxygen Saturation (SpO₂)
Oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry and expressed as a percentage (%). Higher values indicate improved peripheral oxygenation.
Time frame: Baseline, Immediately After Intervention, and 10 Minutes After Intervention
Heart Rate
Heart rate measured by pulse oximetry and expressed in beats per minute (bpm).
Time frame: Baseline, Immediately After Intervention, and 10 Minutes After Intervention
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be made publicly available because no formal data-sharing plan has been established for this investigator-initiated academic study.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Jun 2026; primary completion for Sep 2026, 3 months later.
Of 733 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Sedentary Behavior, half reached primary completion within 14 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 31. This study's planned 3 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 741 studies reached it within 14 months; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 31.
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This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Istanbul Gelisim University