Conscious Movement Processing, Postural Stability and Muscle Efficiency in Older Adults

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Fall Injury; Postural; Defect; Old Age; Debility

Treatments: Other: Standing tasks with different task difficulty

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05630911

15600322

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to address critical knowledge gaps by investigating the effects of trait conscious movement processing propensity on real-time (state) conscious movement processing propensity, postural stability, and muscle efficiency in older adults at risk of falling in Hong Kong with high and low trait conscious movement processing propensities, while standing in a challenging environment with different levels of standing task difficulties. The study results would contribute to our scientific understanding of the mechanisms of conscious movement processing in older adults while maintaining standing balance in a challenging environment. It could inform the follow-up investigations for the development of the most appropriate psychomotor standing balance re-education intervention in rehabilitation so as to mitigate the effect of conscious movement processing and the risk of falling in older adults. The findings from the proposed research could ultimately help improve the outcome of fall rehabilitation programmes and reduce the impact of falls in the older adults in Hong Kong.

Enrollment: 132 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65 to 99 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 65 years old or above;
• able to stand independently without a walking aid.

Exclusion criteria

• a history of any major cerebrovascular and/or neurological disorders (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's disease);
• a history of a major fall event within the past year;
• the existence of an unstable medical or mobility condition that could affect safety in this study;
• a score of 23/30 or below in the Chinese version of Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-C);
• a static visual acuity poorer than 20/40 vision (examined by the Tumbling-E eye chart).

Trial design

132 participants in 2 patient groups

High Reinvestor Group (HRG)

Description:

Participants will be invited to complete a series of standing balance trials. The trials will involve participants standing in three different positions on a foam surface (i.e., Airex balance pad elite with a dimension of 16.1" width x 19.7" length x 2.4" height, or equivalent).The three different standing positions will be: wide-base standing on foam (WBF), narrow-base standing on foam (NBF), and tandem standing on foam (TAF) (i.e., low-level of task difficulty, moderate-level of task difficulty, and high-level of task difficulty, respectively). For each standing position, participants will be required to perform two consecutive standing balance trials, with a 1-minute rest break in between.

Treatment:

Other: Standing tasks with different task difficulty

Low Reinvestor Group (LRG)

Description:

Participants will be invited to complete a series of standing balance trials. The trials will involve participants standing in three different positions on a foam surface (i.e., Airex balance pad elite with a dimension of 16.1" width x 19.7" length x 2.4" height, or equivalent).The three different standing positions will be: wide-base standing on foam (WBF), narrow-base standing on foam (NBF), and tandem standing on foam (TAF) (i.e., low-level of task difficulty, moderate-level of task difficulty, and high-level of task difficulty, respectively). For each standing position, participants will be required to perform two consecutive standing balance trials, with a 1-minute rest break in between.

Treatment:

Other: Standing tasks with different task difficulty