Virtual Reality Training for Walking Improvement in the Elderly

Umm Al-Qura University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Gait, Unsteady

Treatments: Device: The C-Mill virtual reality treadmill; Other: Conventional Physical Therapy Program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05623462

22UQU428521DSR01

Details and patient eligibility

About

Safe walking needs the older adult to anticipate and respond quickly to external demands and sudden environmental changes. The practice of complex and challenging situations of the usual daily walking is very important to prevent balance loss and falls in the elderly.

Researchers reported that subjects trained in a virtual environment with enhanced feedback performed walking skills better than those trained with conventional methods. The C-Mill treadmill is an innovative device that was recently used for the training of impaired gait and balance. C-Mill treadmill uses virtual reality, augmented feedback, and force plate technology that provides the best solution for efficient functional movement therapy. Therefore, this study will evaluate the efficacy of gait training with a virtual reality treadmill on walking abilities in elderly people.

Full description

Many studies have shown that walking exercises effectively contribute to enhancing walking performance in the elderly. Several studies have shown that treadmill training is effective in improving the elderly person's ability to walk. Therefore, the practice of complex and challenging situations of the usual daily walking is very important to improve walking. Unfortunately, older adults have few opportunities to practice safe walking well and consistently in a task-specific manner.

There are many studies that have shown that gait training in a challenging environment, such as walking on a treadmill, is more effective in improving the elderly person's ability to walk properly, compared to the traditional training exercise regimen that relies on training in closed training environment free from challenges and obstacles.

Virtual reality technology is one of the advanced technologies used in physical therapy and rehabilitation. This technology contributes to creating an interactive environment for the trainees that enables them to integrate into the training process and encourages them to perform controlled motor tasks. C-Mill treadmill applies a virtual reality environment, dual-tasking exercises, obstacle avoidance games, and a variety of gait challenges in a safe and controlled environment to increase walking adaptability and improve performance in everyday life. Many studies found that the C-Mill treadmill is effective in improving gait performance and adaptability in clinical practice Therefore, this study will compare the efficacy of gait training with a virtual reality treadmill and the conventional physical therapy program on walking abilities in elderly people.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65 to 75 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

40 healthy older adults, both sexes, will participate in this study. Their ages will be between 65 to 75 years. They should have stable medical status based on a confirmed written medical report signed by their physicians. All participants should not receive other training to improve their balance and gait during the duration of the study application except through this study training program.

Exclusion criteria

The exclusion criteria will include any participant with:

• a cognitive reduction (< 23 points based on the Mini-Mental State Examination scale;
• muscle paralysis,
• fixed lower limb bony deformities,
• balance deficits,
• visual problems,
• diabetes mellitus,
• polyneuropathy,
• gait disorders,
• using assistive walking devices during walking,
• vertigo, anti-seizures drug use and hypertension,
• vestibular and cerebellar problems; and
• auditory and perceptual diseases/impairments

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

40 participants in 2 patient groups

Control Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants in the control group will receive conventional gait training (conventional physical therapy program) for one hour as the following. * Part (1) Treadmill gait training without virtual reality. (for 30 minutes) * Rest for 15 minutes between the first part and the second part. * Part (2) Indoor open environment gait training exercises(over-ground gait training exercises.). (for 30 minutes)

Treatment:

Other: Conventional Physical Therapy Program

Experimental Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in the experimental group will receive a treatment program that is comprised of two parts. * The first part included training, for (30 minutes), on The C-Mill virtual reality treadmill. The C-Mill is an instrumented treadmill with interactive virtual reality games and applications. The C-Mill applies an augmented virtual reality environment, obstacle avoidance games, and a variety of balance challenges in a safe and controlled environment to increase walking adaptability and performance in everyday life. * There will be 15 minutes rest between parts one and two of the training program * The second part (conventional training program) (30 minutes) will include: Indoor open environment gait training exercises (over-ground gait training exercises.). (30 minutes)

Treatment:

Device: The C-Mill virtual reality treadmill