Bariatric Surgery Candidate, Gait, Unsteady, Obesity
Conditions
Keywords
obesity, gait, bariatric surgery, walking, obstacles
Brief summary
The objective of the clinical study was to examine if practice could improve walking patterns associated with fall risks before patients with obesity underwent weight loss surgery. We hypothesized that patients would show improvements in their walking after completing the intervention. For the intervention, patients walked under five conditions: on flat ground at the beginning of the study, crossing three obstacle heights, and on flat ground at the end of the study for a total of 25 times.
Detailed description
Obesity has a negative impact on aspects of walking associated with fall risks. After weight loss surgery, adults show improvements in walking. However, those who undergo surgery still show deficits in walking and an additional group of individuals do not undergo the procedure. Our objective was to examine if practice could improve gait patterns associated with fall risks before patients underwent weight loss surgery. Adults with obese body mass index between 30 to 60 years old who were eligible to undergo the Roux-en-Y weight loss surgery procedure walked under five conditions: initial baseline walking on flat ground, crossing three obstacle heights, and final baseline walking on flat ground for a total of 25 trials. Spatio-temporal gait parameters were collected using a gait carpet and body-worn sensors. The GAITRite mat was a 4.9 m long x 0.6 m wide pressure-sensitive mat with a temporal resolution of 120 Hz and a spatial resolution of 1.3 cm. LEGSysTM includes five wearable sensors containing triaxial gyroscopes, accelerometers, and magnetometers. Dependent variables selected included velocity (cm/s), cadence (steps/minute), step length (distance between consecutive steps), step width (lateral distance between feet), single limb support time (amount of time spent on one leg during the walking cycle), and double limb support time (amount of time spend on two legs during the walking cycle).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALObstacle crossing intervention for adults with obesity
The obstacle crossing intervention will be done for reducing falls risks in obesity. The intervention will provide gait practice to individuals with obesity who are eligible for and prior to weight loss surgery.
Sponsors
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Boston University Charles River Campus
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
30 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* between 30 and 60 years old * eligible to undergo Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery * walk independently without assistive devices
Exclusion criteria
* scheduled to undergo knee surgery * receiving dialysis * being treated for cancer
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Velocity (cm/s) | The change from baseline velocity (cm/s) at 12 months | walking speed |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence (steps per minute) | The change from baseline cadence (steps per minute) at 12 months | steps per minute |
| Step width (cm) | The change from baseline step width (cm) at 12 months | lateral distance between feet |
| single limb support time (msec) | The change from baseline single limb support time (msec) at 12 months | time spent balancing on one leg |
| double limb support time (msec) | The change from baseline double limb support time (msec) at 12 months | time spent balancing on both legs |
| step length (cm) | The change from baseline step length (cm) at 12 months | distance between consecutive steps |
Outcome results
None listed