Feasibility and Preliminary Effects of the Walking Tall App for Home-Based Gait Training in Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study

Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Parkinson's Disease

Treatments: Behavioral: Walking Tall App

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07380737

0481_25_TLV_TG

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a pilot study designed to assess the feasibility, adherence, and preliminary effects of a 6-week home-based gait training intervention using the Walking Tall mobile app in individuals with Parkinson's disease. The app delivers rhythmic auditory cues and motivational verbal prompts to promote gait improvements. Primary outcomes include daily walking duration and step count measured via wearable sensors; secondary outcomes include gait speed, balance, self-reported confidence, and usability.

Full description

This open-label, single-arm feasibility study will recruit 30 participants with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, currently enrolled in a rehabilitation program at the Ezra LeMarpe Organization in Israel. Participants will perform 4-5 walking sessions per week for 6 weeks using the Walking Tall smartphone application. The app delivers rhythmic cueing and motivational prompts to enhance walking speed, stride length, and confidence. The study includes baseline and post-intervention assessments. Walking behavior will be monitored using a tri-axial accelerometer worn for 7 days at each timepoint. The primary aim is to evaluate feasibility, adherence, and changes in daily walking activity, with secondary outcomes addressing gait parameters and user satisfaction. Findings will guide the design of future randomized controlled trials.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 40 to 85 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Clinical diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (MDS criteria)

Hoehn & Yahr stage II-III (ON-medication state)

Able to walk independently for ≥5 minutes

Stable medication for ≥1 month

Currently enrolled in a rehab program at Ezra LeMarpe

Able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Musculoskeletal, neurological, or visual/hearing impairments affecting gait

Cognitive impairments or severe behavioral symptoms

History of stroke, severe TBI, or brain tumor

Cardiovascular contraindications

Inability to use a smartphone

Participation in other concurrent intervention studies

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 1 patient group

Walking Tall App Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will use the Walking Tall smartphone app to complete 4-5 home-based walking sessions per week for 6 weeks. The app provides rhythmic auditory cues and verbal prompts to improve gait quality.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Walking Tall App