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HypertensionNCT06510998

Isometric Resistance Exercise for Hypertension

A study testing isometric wall exercise and passive stretching in people with Hypertension, run by Chinese University of Hong Kong at 2 sites in Hong Kong.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Background: Isometric resistance exercises (IREs) have great potential to improve blood pressure (BP) control. However, the effectiveness of IREs in reducing HT is still unknown because their hypotensive effects have not been detected using ambulatory BP measurements (ABPM), which are the current standard for BP… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Hypertension
What is being tested?
isometric wall exercise and passive stretching
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
390 participants
Where
2 sitesHong Kong
Study dates
1 Jan 2025to 28 Dec 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • a suboptimal daytime SBP of >135-160 mmHg on a 24-h ABPM
  • reported no regular physical activity or less than that recommended for adults by the World Health Organization (e.g. <150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week)
  • on stable doses of anti-HT medication(s) for ≥4 weeks if the patient is receiving drug treatments;
  • agree for no drug changes during the intervention period (24 weeks);

Who cannot join

  • cannot provide informed consent
  • unwillingness to repeat ABPM
  • relative contraindications to ABPM (i.e. diagnosed atrial fibrillation, nighttime workers, occupational drivers, or patients with bleeding tendencies)
  • severe osteoarthritis pending knee replacement surgery
  • known secondary HT
  • use of ≥3 anti-HT medications at maximum doses or ≥4 anti-HT medications
Show all 9Show fewer
  • SBP or DBP are >160 mmHg or >100 mmHg, respectively, on ABPM at baseline or at 12 weeks follow-up to ensure safety
  • pregnancy/breastfeeding
  • active malignancy

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Eric Kam-Pui Lee, MSc, FRACGP contact

22528462

lkp032@cuhk.edu.hk

Hong Kong2 sites, 2 recruiting

  • Lek Yuen General Outpatient Clinic

    Hong Kong, 00000

    Eric Kam-Pui Prof Lee, 22528462, lkp032@cuhk.edu.hk

    Recruiting

  • School of public health and primary care

    Hong Kong

    kam pui Lee, Msc, 85260996560, lkp032@cuhk.edu.hk

    Recruiting

Other trials in Hong Kong

About this study

Official title: Effectiveness and Mechanisms of Isometric Resistance Exercise to Reduce Blood Pressure in a Chinese Population: a Randomized-controlled Trial

Background: Isometric resistance exercises (IREs) have great potential to improve blood pressure (BP) control. However, the effectiveness of IREs in reducing HT is still unknown because their hypotensive effects have not been detected using ambulatory BP measurements (ABPM), which are the current standard for BP measurement.

Methods: This first adequately-powered RCT will involve 390 patients with HT who do not meet the current physical activity guidelines defined by the World Health Organization. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio using stratified and blocked randomization to either the IRE (wall squat) group or stretching exercise (active control) group. A well-structured, widely accepted, and validated 24-week wall squat program (2 minutes per exercise, 2 minutes of rest between sets, and 3 sessions per week) will be implemented, as it has been commonly used in previous research. Adherence to the program will be monitored using smartwatches, and regular contact with patients through social media will help ensure adherence. All patients will be followed up for 1 year to investigate the long-term effects of IREs on BP. Control group will receive exact same treatment except that IRE is replaced by frequency-matched and time-matched stretching exercise. The primary outcome measure will be systolic daytime ABPM BP at 24 weeks. Secondary outcome measures will include other BP and ABPM parameters at 12 weeks, 24weeks and 1year, cfPWV at baseline, 24 weeks and 1year, and FMD at baseline and 24weeks. Safety data will be collected and reported.

Conditions
Hypertension
Being tested
isometric wall exercise, passive stretching
Medical subject headings
Hypertension

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • isometric wall exerciseBehavioural

    Each exercise session will contain 4 sets of 2-minute wall squat isometric holds with 2 minutes of rest between each set (approximately 14 minutes per session in total), and a total of 3 sessions will be arranged every week (with ideally 48 h between exercises)

  • passive stretchingBehavioural

    A frequency-matched (3x/week) and time-matched (~14 minutes each session) passive static stretching exercise will be used

Study groups in NCT06510998
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Isometric exerciseExperimental2 minutes wall squat, with 2 minutes rest between sets * to perform 4 sets in total/day * at least 3 days/week * totally for 24-weeks
Receives: Behavioral: isometric wall exercise
passive stretchingActive comparator14 minutes passive stretching * at least 3 days/week * totally 24-weeks
Receives: Behavioral: passive stretching

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. daytime systolic blood pressure (BP) assessed via ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM)

    systolic blood pressure (SBP) measured from a 24-h ABPM

    Measured: 24-week after recruitment (immediate post-intervention)

Secondary outcomes (3)

  1. Other blood pressure indices

    other BP indices from ABPM (i.e. daytime diastolic BP [DBP] at 24-week, daytime SBP/DBP at 1 year, and 24-hour and nighttime SBP and DBP at 24-week and 1 year)

    Measured: 24-week, 1 year

  2. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity

    This will be analysed by applanation tonometry using SphygmoCor (AtCor Medical Pty Ltd) with the accompanying SphygmoCor Software Suite (SphygmoCor System

    Measured: 24-week after recruitment (immediate post-intervention), 1 year

  3. flow-mediated dilation of brachial artery (FMD)

    The longitudinal image of brachial artery is obtained 5-10cm above the elbow using a high frequency linear array vascular transducer XL14 (Philips Medical Systems, Bothell, WA, USA). After a qualified image is acquired for analysis, a pressure cuff placed distal to the imaging probe at the forearm will be inflated to 50mmHg above the systolic pressure for 5 minutes. The longitudinal image of the brachial artery is scan continuous for 3 minutes after the deflation of the cuff. Due to budget limitations, only the first 100 (50 intervention and 50 control) patients with receive FMD

    Measured: 24-week after recruitment (immediate post-intervention), 1 year

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted19 Jul 2024
  2. Study start1 Jan 2025
  3. Primary completion28 Dec 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completion28 Dec 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
390 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06510998
Sponsor's protocol ID
2022.618
Status last verified
Oct 2026
First submitted
15 Jul 2024
Last updated
22 Oct 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes

Publications

  • Ng SN, Yip BH, Sit RW, Woo KS, Wang S, Cohen DD, Lopez-Jaramillo P, Persu A, Tan GM, Cornelissen V, Pyun WB, Camafort BM, Wong SY, Lee EK. Effectiveness and mechanisms of isometric resistance exercise to reduce blood pressure in a Chinese population: study protocol for a randomized-controlled trial. Trials. 2026 Jun 3. doi: 10.1186/s13063-026-09798-x. Online ahead of print.

    PubMed 42237351

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing isometric wall exercise and passive stretching in people with Hypertension, run by Chinese University of Hong Kong at 2 sites in Hong Kong.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 22 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Hong Kong. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Eric Kam-Pui Lee, MSc, FRACGP (22528462, lkp032@cuhk.edu.hk), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

daytime systolic blood pressure (BP) assessed via ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) (time frame: 24-week after recruitment (immediate post-intervention)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06510998, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 22 Oct 2026.

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