Accidental Falls, Distorted Balance
Conditions
Keywords
Older persons, Exercise, Balance
Brief summary
The study aims to assess the effect on functional balance of Otago exercise performed as home exercise versus group exercise. The investigators hypothesize that Otago exercise is more effective performed as group exercise than home exercise.
Detailed description
The study sample is drawn from persons referred to a falls outpatient clinic. Group exercise and home exercise are delivered by trained physiotherapists. Home exercise follows the original Otago exercise protocol. Group exercise is performed twice a week. The length of the intervention period is 3 months. The main outcome measure is the Berg Balance Scale.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALGroup exercise
Otago exercise performed in groups of 4-8 patients, 2 times a week over 12 weeks
BEHAVIORALHome exercise
Otago exercise performed as home exercise 3 times a weeks over 12 weeks. Individually tailored physical balance and muscle strength exercise
Sponsors
South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority
Norwegian Fund for Postgraduate Training in Physiotherapy
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* referred to an outpatient falls clinic * have fallen previous year or have gait or balance problems
Exclusion criteria
* Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE) \< 22 * Not able to walk 10 m without support from another person
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Functional Balance by use of the Berg Balance Scale | 3 months |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Fear of falling by the Fall Efficacy Scale International (FES-I), 7 item version | 3 and 6 months | — |
| Mobility by the Timed Get up-and-go | 3 and 6 months | — |
| Functional leg muscle strength by a Sit-to-stand test | 3 and 6 months | Number of raise-up trials in 30 sec, picked from the Senior Fitness test |
| Health related quality of life by the Short Formular 36 (SF-36) | 3 and 6 months | — |
Countries
Norway
Outcome results
None listed