Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28033302›Full record

Trial reportMedicine2016

The efficacy of isometric resistance training utilizing handgrip exercise for blood pressure management: A randomized trial.

Debra J Carlson, Jodie Inder, Suresh K A Palanisamy, James R McFarlane, Gudrun Dieberg, Neil A Smart

Open access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 36 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
36citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
13.5field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

36 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 71 citations in OpenAlex.

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  10. Effects of low-intensity isometric handgrip training on home blood pressure in hypertensive patients: a randomized controlled trial.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2025
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  13. Effects of dynamic, isometric and combined resistance training on blood pressure and its mechanisms in hypertensive men.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2023
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Debra J CarlsonSchool of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
Jodie Inder
Suresh K A Palanisamy
James R McFarlane
Gudrun Dieberg
Neil A Smart
University of New England · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionHypertension is a major risk factor contributing to cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of deaths worldwide. Although antihypertensive medications are effective at controlling blood pressure, current first-line treatment for hypertension is nonpharmacological lifestyle modifications. Recent studies indicate that isometric resistance training (IRT) may also be effective for assisting with blood pressure management. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of IRT for blood pressure management and the suitability of a low-intensity working control group.

methodsForty hypertensive individuals, aged between 36 and 65 years, conducted IRT for 8 weeks. Participants were randomized into 2 groups, working at an intensity of either 5% or 30% of their maximum voluntary contraction. Participants performed 4 × 2 minute isometric handgrip exercises with their nondominant hand, each separated by a 3-minute rest period, 3 days a week.

resultsBlood pressure measurements were conducted at baseline and at the end of the protocol using a Finometer. Eight weeks of isometric resistance training resulted in a 7-mmHg reduction of resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) (136 ± 12 to 129 ± 15; P = 0.04) in the 30% group. Reductions of 4 mmHg were also seen in mean arterial pressure (MAP) (100 ± 8 to 96 ± 11; P = 0.04) in the 30% group. There were no statistically significant reductions in diastolic blood pressure for the 30% group, or any of the data for the 5% group.

conclusionIsometric resistance training conducted using handgrip exercise at 30% of maximum voluntary contraction significantly reduced SBP and MAP. A lack of reduction in blood pressure in the 5% group indicates that a low-intensity group may be suitable as a working control for future studies.

Indexed as

Isometric ContractionAdultAgedArterial PressureExercise TherapyFemaleHandHand StrengthHumansHypertensionMaleMiddle AgedPhysical ExertionResistance TrainingSystole

Identifiers

PMID28033302
PMCPMC5207598
OpenAlexW2565002767

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.