López Iker, Mielgo-Ayuso Juan, Fernández-López Juan Ramón, Aznar Jose M, Castañeda-Babarro Arkaitz
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain.
Kirolene, San Ignacio Auzunea 5, 48200 Durango, Spain.
Healthcare (Basel). 2025 Jul 1;13(13):1573. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13131573.
Sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) and dynapenia (loss of strength) are prevalent in older adults aged 70 years and over. Both have an impact on their functional ability and quality of life, with type II muscle fibres being particularly affected. Although traditional resistance training (TRT) is effective, it presents technical difficulties and an increased risk of injury among this vulnerable population. Isometric strength training (IST) is a potentially safer, more accessible and more effective alternative. To describe the protocol of a single-arm, pre-post intervention trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and applicability of a 16-week IST programme on muscle strength, skeletal muscle mass, quality of life and applicability (safety, acceptability, perceived difficulty) in 18 older adults aged 70 years and above with a diagnosis of sarcopenia and dynapenia. The influence of genetic and environmental factors on the variability of response to IST will also be explored. The participants, who have all been diagnosed with sarcopenia according to EWGSOP2 (European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2) criteria, will perform two IST sessions per week for 16 weeks. Each 30-min session will consist of one progressive set (total duration 45 s to 90 s) for each of the eight major muscle groups. This series will include phases at 20% and 40% of individual Maximal Voluntary Isometric Contraction (MVIC), culminating in 100% Maximal Effort (ME), using the CIEX SYSTEM machine with visual feedback. The primary outcome variables will be: change in knee extensor MVIC and change in Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass Index (ASMMI). Secondary variables will be measured (other components of sarcopenia, quality of life by EQ-5D-5L, use of Likert scales, posture and physiological variables), and saliva samples will be collected for exploratory genetic analyses. The main statistical analyses will be performed with -tests for related samples or their non-parametric analogues. This protocol details a specific IST intervention and a comprehensive evaluation plan. The results are expected to provide evidence on the feasibility and effects of IST among older adults with sarcopenia and dynapenia. Understanding individual variability in response, including genetic influence, could inform the design of more personalised and effective exercise strategies for this population in the future.
肌肉减少症（肌肉量流失）和肌肉功能减退（力量流失）在70岁及以上的老年人中很普遍。这两者都会影响他们的功能能力和生活质量，其中II型肌纤维受到的影响尤为明显。尽管传统抗阻训练（TRT）有效，但在这一脆弱人群中存在技术困难且受伤风险增加。等长力量训练（IST）是一种潜在更安全、更易实施且更有效的替代方法。描述一项单臂干预前后试验的方案，该试验旨在评估一项为期16周的IST计划对18名70岁及以上被诊断患有肌肉减少症和肌肉功能减退的老年人的肌肉力量、骨骼肌质量、生活质量及适用性（安全性、可接受性、感知难度）的有效性和适用性。还将探讨遗传和环境因素对IST反应变异性的影响。所有参与者均根据EWGSOP2（欧洲老年人肌肉减少症工作组2）标准被诊断为患有肌肉减少症，他们将每周进行两次IST训练，持续16周。每次30分钟的训练将包括针对八个主要肌肉群各进行一组渐进式训练（总时长45秒至90秒）。该系列训练将包括20%和40%个体最大自主等长收缩（MVIC）阶段，最终达到100%最大努力（ME），使用带有视觉反馈的CIEX SYSTEM机器。主要结局变量将是：膝伸肌MVIC的变化和四肢骨骼肌质量指数（ASMMI）的变化。将测量次要变量（肌肉减少症的其他组成部分、EQ-5D-5L评估的生活质量、李克特量表的使用、姿势和生理变量），并收集唾液样本进行探索性基因分析。主要统计分析将使用相关样本的t检验或其非参数类似检验。本方案详细说明了一种特定的IST干预措施和一项全面的评估计划。预期结果将为IST在患有肌肉减少症和肌肉功能减退的老年人中的可行性和效果提供证据。了解个体反应变异性，包括遗传影响，可为未来为该人群设计更个性化、更有效的运动策略提供参考。
