Downhill Walking Training in COPD

Overview

This randomized control trial will investigate whether a modality that generates more contractile muscle fatigue with lower ventilatory requirements render better results after a 12-week exercise training program in subjects with COPD. Subjects will be randomized to either exercise in a training program including downhill walking or to exercise in a training program including conventional walking.

Full Title of Study: “Downhill Walking to Enhance Training Effects in Patients With COPD”

Study Type

  • Study Type: Interventional
  • Study Design
    • Allocation: Randomized
    • Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
    • Primary Purpose: Treatment
    • Masking: None (Open Label)
  • Study Primary Completion Date: April 2015

Interventions

  • Other: Downhill walking training
    • Walk on a treadmill with a negative inclination.
  • Other: Conventional walking training
    • Walk on a treadmill without inclination. Possible to progress training intensity with positive inclinations

Arms, Groups and Cohorts

  • Experimental: Downhill walking training
    • Exercise training including treadmill walking with a negative inclination.
  • Active Comparator: Conventional walking training
    • Exercise training including treadmill walking without inclination. Possible to progress training intensity with positive inclinations.

Clinical Trial Outcome Measures

Primary Measures

  • changes in 6-minute walking distance
    • Time Frame: changes from baseline to Week 12

Participating in This Clinical Trial

Inclusion Criteria

  • Patients with a primary diagnosis of COPD according to internationally accepted guidelines – Patients referred to the outpatient PR program of Gasthuisberg University Hospital(Leuven, Belgium) Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any underlying disease or musculoskeletal limitation that could impair the ability to perform any of the exercise training modalities – Absence of exacerbations in the previous month before entering the present study – Patients included on the waiting list for lung transplantation

Gender Eligibility: All

Minimum Age: N/A

Maximum Age: N/A

Are Healthy Volunteers Accepted: No

Investigator Details

  • Lead Sponsor
    • KU Leuven
  • Collaborator
    • Research Foundation Flanders
  • Provider of Information About this Clinical Study
    • Principal Investigator: Thierry Troosters, Prof. – KU Leuven
  • Overall Official(s)
    • Thierry Troosters, PhD, Principal Investigator, KU Leuven
  • Overall Contact(s)
    • Thierry Troosters, PhD, Thierry.Troosters@kuleuven.be

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