Accidental Falls
Conditions
Keywords
Aging, Falls, Balance Control, Voluntary Step Execution Test, Dual-Task, Self-reported function
Brief summary
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a group-based functional and specific balance training program on balance function in healthy older adults. It is commonly considered difficult to improve balance function in healthy older adults. The program included dual-task exercises; physical training exercises and a cognitive task (e.g. reading or reciting a story) performed simultaneously, as well as perturbation exercises, where balance is challenged in unexpected ways. The investigators hypothesized that following the proposed training, older adults would improve their speed of taking a step in both single and dual task conditions, refine their ability to control balance when standing still and improve their self-reported physical function.
Interventions
OTHERBalance Training Intervention
The intervention group participated in a total of 24 one-hour training sessions over a period of 12 weeks. The training program utilized different size balls as a general tool in a series of progressively more difficult exercises targeting sitting, standing, and gait-related balance control. The program included exercises at five different levels of progressively more challenging balance exercises. Levels 1-4 focused on voluntarily controlled balance exercises, whereas level 5 also included perturbation exercises to trigger automatic compensatory stepping responses. All levels included attention-demanding dual task exercises that required subjects to simultaneously perform motor and cognitive activities.
Sponsors
Boston University Charles River Campus
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 65 years or older * Independently ambulatory (cane acceptable; not walker) * Score better than 45 on the Berg Balance Scale * Higher than 24 Mini-Mental Score
Exclusion criteria
* Severe focal muscle weakness or visual impairment * Known neurological disorders (including stroke, Parkinson disease) * Metastatic cancer * Use of medication that impairs balance or strength
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Reaction time of dual task step execution | 12 weeks | Subjects stand on a force platform and are asked to execute a step as rapidly as possible following a tactile stimulus on their heel while performing a cognitive attention demanding task (Stroop task - call out colors of words that are names of colors, e.g. the word "BLUE" is presented in yellow letters). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Late Life Functional Disability Index - LLFDI | 12 weeks | Self-reported measure of function |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORLars IE Oddsson, PhD
NeuroMuscular Research Center, Boston University
Outcome results
None listed