Empowering Health: Acute Psychological Effects of an Electromyostimulation-Whole-Body-Workout

Charité University Medicine Berlin

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Depression

Treatments: Device: EMS-Placebo; Behavioral: whole-body-workout; Device: EMS

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04211493

EA4/058/19

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study investigates the acute psychological effects of a whole-body-workout using Electromyostimulation (EMS) in participants with depression and healthy individuals.

Full description

EMS-whole-body-workouts are less time-consuming and effort-intensive but generate physical effects which are comparable to conventional strength training. Therefore EMS could lower the barrier to physical activity. The present study focusses on acute psychological effects of an EMS workout - especially with regard to the reduction of depressive symptoms. Physical activity is notably important for patients with depression and shows multiple positive psychological and physical effects. But due to disease-related factors like lethargy, physical activity is far too rarely implemented. Therefore EMS-whole-body-workouts could provide an opportunity to generate positive psychological effects through a less (subjective) cost-intense strength training.

Enrollment: 34 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Subject familiarized with experimental procedure and had given written informed consent
• Depression, according to ICD-10
• BDI-II Score ≥ 14
• Able to understand German
• Reachability of participant for the two training sessions

Exclusion criteria

• Contraindications for physical exercise
• Contraindications for EMS-use
• Current EMS-use
• Pregnancy
• Borderline personality disorder
• Bipolar Disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa
• Dementia
• Acute suicidality
• Substance dependencies with actual consumption (except nicotine)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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34 participants in 2 patient groups, including a placebo group

Experimental-Condition

Experimental group

Description:

20 minutes whole-body-workout with simultaneous muscle stimulation (EMS). Participants carry out easy whole-body-exercises while wearing a EMS-vest-belt-system with interwoven electrodes. During the workout the muscles are simultaneously stimulated by those external electrodes with medium level (5) of stimulation intensity.

Treatment:

Behavioral: whole-body-workout

Device: EMS

Placebo-Condition

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

20 minutes whole-body-workout without simultaneous muscle stimulation (EMS). Participants carry out easy whole-body-exercises while wearing a EMS-vest-belt-system with interwoven electrodes. During the workout they are stimulated with the lowest possible stimulation intensity (1). This is perceptible as a slight tingling sensation but the impulse intensity lies below the muscular threshold and therefore generates no muscular activity.

Treatment:

Device: EMS-Placebo

Behavioral: whole-body-workout