None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The negative effects of immobility such as reduced muscle strength and cardiac function are evident after a few days in care, particularly for older adults. These effects are more profound in those older adults with restricted weight bearing status as they are more confined to bed. There is a need to identify interventions that can be completed in bed while reducing the effects of immobilization. One such intervention is motor imagery, where participants imagine performing certain tasks without overt muscle activity. Motor imagery has been used successfully in stroke patients but has not been used in older adults during periods of immobilization. The aim of this study is to identify whether motor imagery combined with standard physiotherapy care is superior at improving strength and mobility compared to standard physiotherapy care alone. Participants will be subacute residents undergoing rehabilitation, aged 65 years or more that have been prescribed restricted weight bearing for at least one week. Participants will be allocated to standard physiotherapy (Control) or standard physiotherapy plus motor imagery (experimental). It is expected that participants in the experimental group will have more rapid gains in strength and mobility than those in the control group.
Interventions
Motor imagery (mental practice) plus standard physiotherapy care. Participants in the motor imagery group will undertake 15 minutes of motor imagery practice per day for four weeks. The motor imagery training will be guided by pre-recorded audio files uploaded onto a portable musci player. The audio files will be designed specifically for this study. The motor imagery tasks will relate to muscle contractions and everyday weight bearing movements. The training will be unsupervised, except for the
Motor imagery (mental practice) plus standard physiotherapy care. Participants in the motor imagery group will undertake 15 minutes of motor imagery practice per day for four weeks. The motor imagery training will be guided by pre-recorded audio files uploaded onto a portable musci player. The audio files will be designed specifically for this study. The motor imagery tasks will relate to muscle contractions and everyday weight bearing movements. The training will be unsupervised, except for the first session when it will be supervised by a physiotherapist. Adherence will monitored by a patient diary and also by the number of times a track has been played on the audio device. Standard physiotherapy care will follow proceures and guidelines of the facility. Standard physiotherapy care will typically involve strength and range of motion exercises along with targeted mobility and transfer training.
Sponsors
Australian Catholic University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Aged 60 years or over Prescribed restricted weight bearing or non-weight bearing for a minimum of one week due to injury or surgery Resident of subacute rehabilitation facility.
Exclusion criteria
Any neurological condition likely to impair mobility such as Parkinson’s disease or Multiple sclerosis A history of stroke or untreated heart disease Impaired cognition (MMSE <24/30) Profound hearing loss Not willing or able to follow procedures specified by the study or instructions of the researcher.
Outcome results
None listed