Other Fall, Patient Falls
Conditions
Keywords
Balance Training, Walking, Falls
Brief summary
The goal of this research is to determine if real time visual feedback of body movements improves balance control more than walking on a treadmill alone. Individuals participating in this research study will be tested using a battery of clinical strength and balance assessments twice before a 4 week training period and once after the training period. The 4 week training period will consist of 12 sessions walking on a treadmill. The experimental group will see real time visual feedback regarding their body movements, and the control group will not receive this visual feedback. Following the 4 week training each participant will again be tested using the battery of clinical strength and balance assessments.
Interventions
PROCEDURETreadmill Walking
Individuals will walk at a comfortable speed on a treadmill without holding on to the hand rails.
OTHERVisual Feedback
Real time feedback regarding body motion while walking.
Sponsors
University of Maryland
Temple University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Fall Prone Older Adults (history of falls or loss of balance) * ability to walk on the treadmill hands-free without assistance * Mini-Mental Status Exam \> 23
Exclusion criteria
* Current enrollment in physical rehabilitation of any kind * Medically unstable
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from Baseline in Comfortable Walking Speed | Measured daily, up to 12 days | This value is determined for each training session |
| Change from Baseline in BESTest Score, A clinical assessment of balance | Tested at 0, 4, and 8 weeks | Balance Evaluation System Test (BESTest) |
| Change from Baseline in Berg Balance Test Score | Test will be given at 0, 4, and 8 weeks | — |
| Change from Baseline in Activity Specific Balance Confidence Score | Tested at 0, 4, and 8 weeks | Questionnaire rating balance confidence |
| Change from Baseline in 6 Minute Walk Test | Tested at 0, 4, and 8 weeks | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from Baseline in Muscle Strength | Tested at 0, 4, and 8 weeks | Strength of major muscles in the legs and trunk will be measured |
| Change from Baseline in Overground Walking Speed | Tested at 0, 4, and 8 weeks | — |
| Change from Baseline in Center of Mass variability | Tested daily, up to 12 days | This measure is derived from recorded body position during each training repetition for each of up to 12 days of training. |
| Change from Baseline in Power spectral density | Tested daily, up to 12 days | This measure is derived from recorded body position during each training repetition for each of up to 12 days of training. |
| Change from Baseline in Single/Dual Tasking ability | Tested at 0, 4, and 8 weeks | — |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed