Impact of the Use of a Weighted Jacket on the Balance of Patients With a Balance Disorder.

Bernard Dachy

Status: Completed

Conditions: Balance; Distorted

Treatments: Device: Control jacket; Device: Personalized weighted jacket

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03307265

CHUB-Weighted jacket

Details and patient eligibility

About

The aim of the study is to test whether wearing a weighted jacket can help improve the balance distortion of patients with neurologic pathologies.

The center of mass of the patient will be analyzed in order to determine the direction in which the imbalance is most important. Weights will be placed accordingly in a jacket in order to correct the imbalance. In the experimental group, weights will represent 1.5 to 2% of the patient body mass. In the control group, the investigators will use weights of 200 grams maximum, placed evenly on both sides of the jacket. Patients will wear the jacket for 2 consecutive hours.

After wearing the jacket for 2 hours, data similar to those recorded at the beginning of the experiment will be taken again, namely the determination of the center of mass and of the deviations caused by the imbalance.

A final series of tests will take place approximately one week after wearing the jacket, to determine if there are any residual effects.

Enrollment: 17 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• good level of French understanding
• be able to walk a minimum distance of 10 meters with or without rod/walker
• walk 10 meters in more than 12 seconds.
• have a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, or any other neurological pathology that could cause balance disorders
• be able to endure at least 2 hours of tests, interviews or medical care.
• score of more than 8 seconds at the time up and go (TUG), less than 24 points out of 28 in the Tinetti test

Exclusion criteria

• the patient underwent a period of exacerbation of his pathology in the last two months (especially for multiple sclerosis patients)
• chronic back pain
• poor eyesight (not be able to perform the tests)
• osteoporosis

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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17 participants in 2 patient groups

Imbalance correction

Experimental group

Treatment:

Device: Personalized weighted jacket

Control

Active Comparator group

Treatment:

Device: Control jacket