The Use of Music Therapy in the Prevention of Falls

Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies

Status and phase: Completed; Early Phase 1

Conditions: Healthy; Accidental Falls

Treatments: Behavioral: Music therapy (listening to specific music)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00121693

CI-01-03

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether listening to music will demonstrate changes in human postural stability and whether those changes might be useful in fall prevention strategies.

Full description

Falls are a serious health issue and are the greatest cause of death in the elderly. The use of music therapy in fall prevention has not been reported in the literature. This investigation will provide experimental support to the assumption that music therapy may prevent falls and that certain music can affect increases in postural stability using randomly selected subjects, validated posturography and a full experimental design.

Computer dynamic posturography (CDP) tests will provide stability scores in volunteer subjects who have had no previous history of falls or vertigo. Subjects will be randomized into several different music listening groups and one control group. Examiners will be blinded as to the music listened to and the outcome measurements. Subjects will be blinded as to their posturographic measurements. The music listening groups will be given a daily specific music listening task. CDP tests will be obtained 10 minutes, 1 week and 1 month after subject's treatment. Music selection will include Mozart, Nolwenn Leroy and others suggested to change human stability.

Enrollment: 266 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 17 to 90 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• No history of previous fall(s) or dizziness

Exclusion criteria

• History of previous fall(s) or dizziness

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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266 participants in 4 patient groups

Music Listening 1

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention: Listen to Music type 1

Treatment:

Behavioral: Music therapy (listening to specific music)

Music Listening 2

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention: Listen to Music type 2

Treatment:

Behavioral: Music therapy (listening to specific music)

Music LIstening 3

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention: Listen to Music type 3

Treatment:

Behavioral: Music therapy (listening to specific music)

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Intervention: Listen to White noise