Workplace Fall Prevention Through Slip Recovery Training

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Accidental Fall

Treatments: Behavioral: alternative balance training; Behavioral: slip recovery training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05740124

22-853

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility of applying slip recovery training, a novel balance training exercise intervention, to workers who are at increased risk of slip-induced falls. This will be done via field studies with industrial partners. Note that the slip recovery training is not a device or drug. It is a detailed exercise regimen that aims to improve the the ability to recover balance after slipping.

The main specific aims are are:

• To investigate the feasibility of on-site slip recovery training
• To validate field assessments for evaluating slip recovery training efficacy in subsequent research

Participants will complete 3-6 once-weekly sessions of slip recovery training, answer daily text messages indicating any falls they experience while working over the 12 weeks after completing slip recovery training, and a subset of workers will be asked to participate in focus group discussions after the 12 weeks to provide information on the long-term feasibility of slip recovery training. A group of workers at Virginia Tech will also be asked to complete a laboratory session of testing during which they will be exposed to a laboratory-induced slip so that gold-standard measures of slip-induced fall recovery can be used to validate field assessments.

Workers who complete slip recovery training will be compared to another group of workers who complete an alternative balance training that should improve balance but not improve slip recovery that is targeted by slip recovery training.

Enrollment: 34 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Virginia Tech workers in Dining Services, Facilities and Housekeeping, and construction.
• Veolia field workers in water distribution and water main construction
• age 18-65 years old
• willing to complete 3 or 6 training sessions, lab testing session, and daily falls tracking for 12 weeks

Exclusion criteria

• weigh over 250 pounds
• answer 'no' to all questions of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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34 participants in 2 patient groups

Slip recovery training

Experimental group

Description:

Once weekly sessions of slip recovery training for 3 or 6 weeks. Each session will be 20 minutes of training. Training will involve volitional and reactive stepping movements that mimic the movements necessary to recover balance after slipping while walking.

Treatment:

Behavioral: slip recovery training

Alternative balance training

Active Comparator group

Description:

Once weekly sessions of balance training for 3 or 6 weeks. Each session will be 20 minutes of training. Training will involve standing balance under varied sensory conditions, and tandem walking forward and backward under varied sensory conditions.

Treatment:

Behavioral: alternative balance training