Aquatic Exercise and Reactive Balance

Eadric Bressel

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Aging; Exercise Therapy; Postural Balance; Accidental Falls; Aged; Exercise

Treatments: Other: Exercise intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05107817

12227 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The present clinical trial aims to identify if skills acquired during aquatic exercise are more effectively transferred to a reactive balance task than land exercise. This study is designed as a double-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial. Forty-four older adults aged 60 years or above who meet the eligibility criteria will be recruited and randomized into an aquatic exercise group or land exercise group. Each group will participate in the same balance training exercise during a single session that includes a ball throwing and catching task. A modified lean-and-release test will be implemented on land immediately before, after, and one week after the training session. The outcomes will include reaction time, rapid response accuracy, and mini-BESTest scores obtained from stepping and grasping reactions.

Full description

During the modified lean-and-release test, there are two possible settings: 1) the leg block is placed in front of both legs, and a safety handle is uncovered; or 2) the leg block is removed, and the safety handle is covered. The leg block and handle cover will be controlled via computer-triggered, servo motors. The testing session will be comprised of three blocks: 1) REACH (grasping a safety handle using their right hand while maintaining both feet fixed), 2) STEP (stepping forward using any leg), and 3) RANDOM (random variations of STEP and REACH).

Enrollment: 44 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Ability to stand using a double-leg stance for one minute of time
• Ability to walk independently
• Normal or corrected to normal vision
• Normal or corrected to normal hearing based on a qualitative assessment

Exclusion criteria

• Any neurological or musculoskeletal disorders that may inhibit the participation in the training and testing protocols
• A concussion within the past one year before the participation
• Any cognitive deficiencies (e.g., memory, concentration, or attention disorder)
• One or more 'yes' answered on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
• Fear of water

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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44 participants in 2 patient groups

Aquatic Exercise group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will engage in a single session of training consisting of 120 repetitions of a ball throwing and catching task in water.

Treatment:

Other: Exercise intervention

Land Exercise group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will engage in a single session of training consisting of 120 repetitions of a ball throwing and catching task on dry land.

Treatment:

Other: Exercise intervention