Breathing muscle training for people recovering from stroke
Tests breathing muscle training in adults aged 40 to 80 after stroke.
Key facts
- Who runs it
- Hong Kong Metropolitan University
- Where
- Shenzhen, ChinaSee the site
- Trial code
- Registry title
- Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Training on Stroke Rehabilitation Outcomes
- Status
- Recruiting
- People taking part
- 84 people, planned
- Started
- 21 Feb 2025
- Planned end
- 15 Jun 2026
- Type of study
- Interventional, 3 groupsOne group gets a sham (pretend) treatment, for comparison.
- Treatments tested
- sham IMT
- IMT-stable group (sitting on a stable surface)
- IMT-unstable group (sitting on an unstable surface)
- Conventional treatment
- Record updated
- 24 February 2025
Who can take part
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for adults aged 40 to under 80 who had a stroke 1 to 12 months ago. It tests breathing muscle training over 4 weeks.
- Age
- 40 years or older and under 80 years
- Sex
- All sexes can join
- Disease stage
- Stroke (ischemic and/or haemorrhagic) diagnosed 1 to 12 months ago; can walk at least 10 meters with or without an assistive device
- Earlier treatment
- No thoracic or abdominal surgery in the last 6 months
Main reasons for not taking part
- Acute heart attack or acute heart failure
- Acute pain anywhere in the body
- Breathing illness or signs of poor breathing function
- Long-term heart or blood vessel problems
- Nasal feeding tube or tracheal tube
The registry criteria, word for word
Show all 16 criteriaShow less
Who can take part
- Age ≥ 40 years and < 80 years
- breathing spontaneously
- clinically diagnosed with ischemic and/or haemorrhagic stroke
- duration of stroke from onset falls within 1 month to 12 months after diagnosis
- no thoracic or abdominal surgery within the last 6 months
- able to understand and follow verbal instructions
- no facial palsy, or mild facial palsy without limitation of labial occlusion
- able to maintain a resting sitting posture without feet support for at least 30 seconds
- no cognitive impairment (Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score ≥ 26)
- able to independently walk at least 10 meters with or without an assistive device
Who cannot take part
- acute myocardial infarction or acute heart failure
- with respiratory illness or positive clinical signs of impaired respiratory function (such as shortness of breath, hypoxemia, chronic cough and sputum retention)
- Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS) score ≥ 20
- patient with a nasal feeding tube, tracheal tube and/or any condition that prevents the measurement or the implementation of the study procedure
- acute pain in any part of the body
- with chronic cardiovascular dysfunction
Check if you might fit
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 40 and 80 years old?
Where in China
- Shenzhen Second People's HospitalShenzhen, ChinaContact: Fang LIUTaking people
About the trial
What the trial wants to find out
This study is designed to explore the effects of a 4-week protocol of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) at 50% maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) on respiratory function, diaphragm thickness, balance control, exercise capacity, and quality of life in people after stroke. To ascertain the effect of IMT on the relationship between diaphragm muscle contraction and activation of other trunk muscles, this study also explores whether any effect of the 4-week IMT protocol on balance control is associated with changes in the anticipatory posture adjustments (APAs) time - the onset time of postural muscles during a required task (e.g., the rapid shoulder flexion test).
The 3 groups in the trial
- Group A (sham IMT- stable group)Sham treatment, for comparison
conventional treatment + sham IMT
Treatment: sham IMT and Conventional treatment
- Group B (IMT-stable group)Treatment being tested
conventional treatment + target IMT while sitting on a stable surface
Treatment: IMT-stable group (sitting on a stable surface) and Conventional treatment
- Group C (IMT-unstable group)Treatment being tested
conventional treatment + target IMT while sitting on an unstable surface
Treatment: IMT-unstable group (sitting on an unstable surface) and Conventional treatment
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorData and sources
- Registry record
- Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- Official title
- Effect of Inspiratory Muscle Training on Respiratory Function, Diaphragm Thickness, Balance Control, Exercise Capacity and Quality of Life in People After Stroke: a Randomized Controlled Trial
- Plain-language title
- Breathing muscle training for people recovering from strokeGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
- AI summary
- From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
- Fit questions
- Built from NCT06640101, who can take part
- Publications
- Record updated
- 24 February 2025