Blood Flow Restriction Training for Treatment of Chronic Patellar Tendinopathy

Bispebjerg Hospital

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Jumper's Knee; Patellar Tendinopathy

Treatments: Other: Low-Load Blood Flow Restriction training; Other: Heavy-Slow Resistance training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04550013

A2359

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical and functional outcome of a 12-week rehabilitation regime consisting of Low-Load Blood Flow Restriction compared to Heavy-Slow Resistance training in male patients with chronic unilateral patellar tendinopathy.

Full description

Chronic tendinopathy represents a considerable problem in both elite and recreational athletes, and symptoms may affect athletic performance and reduce or even result in retirement from sports participation. The current best treatment is considered to be heavy-slow resistance training (HSRT); however, not all patients are able to cope with heavy exercise loads. Therefore, low-load strength training performed under partial blood flow restriction may be a clinically relevant rehabilitation tool.

This project aims to investigate a new innovative intervention to treat chronic unilateral patellar tendinopathy in male individuals using strength training with low-load muscle contractions performed under partial blood flow restriction (LL-BFR), and to compare the resulting treatment outcome to that of the current best practice (HSRT). Specifically, the effect of LL-BFR will be investigated using a randomized controlled trial design with two groups; 1) a low-load blood flow restriction training program, and 2) a heavy-load slow strength training program. A total sample size of 36 participants are needed when assuming a 10 % dropout.

The training protocol consist of three weekly training sessions during a 12-week rehabilitation period. The primary outcome is measured using the Single-Leg Decline Squat at 12-week.

If LL-BFR proves to be an effective treatment strategy for tendinopathy, it can easily be implemented in daily clinical practice.

Enrollment: 36 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 70 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Unilateral patellar tendinopathy
• Chronic (symptoms >3 months)
• Pain of ≥ 4 during preferred sporting activity on the numerical pain rating scale (NRS; with 0 being no pain and 10 being the worst imaginable pain)
• Ultrasonographical tendon swelling
• Ultrasonographical hypo-echoic area with doppler

Exclusion criteria

• Bilateral tendinopathy
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Previous surgery or trauma to the knee joint with an effect on the presenting clinical condition
• Participants must not have been enrolled in a resistance based-rehabilitation program for the affected patellar tendon within the previous three months
• Previous corticosteroid injection for patellar tendinopathy

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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36 participants in 2 patient groups

Heavy-Slow Resistance training

Active Comparator group

Description:

Heavy-Slow Resistance training. Three times weekly for 12 weeks.

Treatment:

Other: Heavy-Slow Resistance training

Low-Load Blood Flow Restriction training

Experimental group

Description:

Low-Load Blood Flow Restriction training. Three times weekly for 12 weeks

Treatment:

Other: Low-Load Blood Flow Restriction training