Effects of Task-Specific Step Training on Reactive Balance

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Accidental Fall

Treatments: Behavioral: step training; Behavioral: treadmill training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05734443

21-1072

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate a novel and pragmatic (i.e., not requiring specialized equipment) task-specific step training regimen that aims to improve reactive balance after tripping. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Does this step training regimen improve reactive balance after tripping compared to no training?
• How well does this step training regimen improve reactive balance compared to treadmill training, which is a more commonly studied reactive balance training regimen that uses a specialized treadmill.

Participants will:

• complete step training or treadmill training (or no training if assigned to the control group) twice a week for three weeks
• experience a laboratory-induced trip three weeks later to evaluate their reactive balance

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65 to 80 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 65-80 years old
• willing to use wearable sensors for 2-3 weeks (for a separate study)
• no lower limb amputation
• not weigh over 250 pounds
• pass a telephone interview related to cognitive status

Exclusion criteria

• participants must pass a health screening involving a questionnaire that will be reviewed by a health care specialist.
• participants must not have clinical osteoporosis as indicated by a bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebra and proximal femur of t<-2.0 as obtained from dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), or a DEXA scan completed within the last year.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 3 patient groups

step training

Experimental group

Description:

Two training sessions per week will be completed for three consecutive weeks. Each training session will last 0.5-1 hour with an active training time of 30 minutes per participant. Training will involve repeated volitional and reactive stepping movements that mimic the movements necessary to recover balance after tripping while walking.

Treatment:

Behavioral: step training

treadmill training

Experimental group

Description:

Two training sessions per week will be completed for three consecutive weeks. Each training session will last 0.5-1 hour with an active training time of 30 minutes per participant. Training will involve repeated exposure to simulated trips on a treadmill. To simulate a trip, participants first stand on the stationary treadmill belt. A sudden and unexpected increase in backward treadmill belt speed induces a forward loss of balance similar to when tripping. Participants are then required to take steps to recover balance and establish a stable gait pattern before the trial ends. Trials are repeated using pseudo-random speeds that provide variability and are individualized to each participant's capabilities.

Treatment:

Behavioral: treadmill training

Control

No Intervention group