Aging, Movement Disorders
Conditions
Keywords
Fall-Prevention, Balance, Musculoskeletal Systems, Protective Devices, Gait, Equilibrium, Accidental Falls, Frail Elderly
Brief summary
This study uses a patented type of exercise poles, developed to assist runners rehabilitating from lower body injuries. These poles may offer older adults improved stability, reduced fear of falling, and lessened lower body pain when exercise walking.
Detailed description
Phase 1 (being concluded as of Feb 2002) used 18 older adults to investigate prototype versions of the running poles. Preliminary results, after 3 months of testing, indicate the poles are safe and effective. Phase 2 will use improved versions of the poles, which are currently in development, with a group of around 125-150 subjects over a longer length of time (12 months). Changes in walking gait quality, balance, strength, body composition, exercise adherence, and subjective perceptions of wellness will be assessed before, during, and after the 12 month exercise session.
Interventions
DEVICEExercise poles
Sponsors
Ball State University
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age 65-80 * Normal gait
Exclusion criteria
* Inability to walk continuously for 5 minutes * Contraindication from a personal physician * Height over 6'2 or weight over 200 lbs (due to limitations of existing pole design) * Mild to severe cognitive impairment
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed