None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Degenerative changes occurring in the body with age lead to muscle weakness, reduction, exercise endurance, and balance and movement disorders.. Consequently one of the serious problems of older people is the increased risk of falls and injuries, which often lead to disability and even death of the elderly. Properly programmed exercise can help improve the fitness of seniors and reduce the risk of falls. Our study is specifically designed to test the hypotheses that physical training including body balance, strength endurance exercises and circulatory endurance exercises will increase static and dynamic postural control and improve the quality of gait in the elderly.
Interventions
The purpose of this clinical trial is to gain knowledge about the impact of physical training, including body balance exercises, and strength and cardiovascular endurance exercises, on the risk of falls in people aged 65+.
Two experimental groups will be created. In both groups, body balance exercises will be used according to the same program, and in addition, in the experimental group 1 (EG1), exercises aimed at increasing strength endurance will be conducted, and in the experimental group 2
The purpose of this clinical trial is to gain knowledge about the impact of physical training, including body balance exercises, and strength and cardiovascular endurance exercises, on the risk of falls in people aged 65+. Two experimental groups will be created. In both groups, body balance exercises will be used according to the same program, and in addition, in the experimental group 1 (EG1), exercises aimed at increasing strength endurance will be conducted, and in the experimental group 2 (EG2), exercises aimed at increasing circulatory endurance will be conducted. In both groups, exercises will be applied twice a week for 60 minutes a day, for 12 weeks. In addition, a control group will be created in which patients will not undertake physical training for 12 weeks. In both experimental groups, physical exercises will be programmed and conducted by a physiotherapist in cooperation with doctors in the field of orthopedics, neurolgia and internal diseases as well as a specialist in the field of medical physiology. Demographic information on the patients will be compiled during standardized interviews and physical examinations, as well as from additional examinations of the patients and the documentation of their concomitant diseases. Patients in all groups will be assessed for intellectual performance, daily functioning, quality of life, severity of joint pain, depressive symptoms, fear of falling and level of physical activity before and after the study. These studies will be conducted using appropriate questionnaires. All patients will also be tested for functional and dynamic body balance, gait quality, aerobic endurance, torso and lower limb muscle strength, grip strength and proprioception of the lower limbs. Patients will also be interviewed regarding the medicines they are taking in cooperation with the clinical pharmacist. Experimental group 1 (EG1) In EG1, physical exercise will be conducted for 12 weeks 2 times a week for 60 minutes a day. Exercises aimed at improving static and dynamic body balance will be applied for 30 minutes, and over the next 30 minutes, resistance exercises of the trunk and lower limbs muscles will be conducted to increase strength endurance. Feedback based on virtual reality will be used in all exercises. Body balance exercises will be peformed on platforms with stable and unstable ground. Dynamic resistance exercises with progressively increasing resistance in the range of 20 to 35% of maximum voluntary contraction will be applied in resistance training. Exercises for flexion, extension, rotation and lateral flexion of the trunk in the lumbar and thoracic sections, as well as exercises for flexion and extension of the knee joints will be used. Virtual reality (VR) will be used to provide feedback. During the exercises, the patient will see virtual images displayed on the monitor screen and his task will be to perform specific body movements to direct the avatar's movements. The patient will be forced e.g. to bypass virtual obstacles, move virtual objects, aiming at virtual objects, etc. These tasks will require the patient to, e.g. transfer weight to the right or left limb, fingers or heels, as well as bend and straighten limbs or torso, etc.. Experimental group 2 (EG2) In EG2, as in the EG1 group, trainings will be conducted for 12 weeks, twice a week for 60 minutes a day. Within 30 minutes, body balance exercises will be conducted according to the same program as in the EG1 group. In addition, endurance training on a treadmill will be used for EG2 for 30 minutes. The intensity of endurance training will be maintained at 50-60% of the patient's maximum heart rate.
Sponsors
Academy of Physical Education
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
65 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Patient eligibility for the experiment will be established by their physician as per the following criteria: 1) age from 65 to 85 years, 2) consent to participate in the research, 3) the result of the assessment of independence in everyday life according to the Barthel scale above 20 points, 4) the ability to move independently, 5) ability to understand and follow therapist's instructions.
Exclusion criteria
1) Contraindications to physical training provided for in the study (including circulatory-respiratory failure, chronic heart failure, acute injuries and inflammation of the musculoskeletal system, lower limb endoprostheses less than 6 months after surgery); 2) Muscle and nervous system diseases affecting body balance disturbing body balance; 3) Eye defects uncorrected with glasses or contact lenses; 4) Rheumatoid diseases; 5) Imbalance resulting from ear, eye, and head and neck blood vessels.
Outcome results
None listed