Healthy older adults Healthy older adults
Conditions
Interventions
Participants will be randomised into one of four groups which train one of the 
task-specific fall-resisting skills (proactive gait adaptability, gait 
robustness, reactive gait recovery) or be placed in the placebo-controlled 
training group. The four training sessions will take place in the CAREN 
movement analysis laboratory.
Sponsors
Universiteit Maastricht
Eligibility
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 60 years and older Community-dwelling Able to walk without a walking aid.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: (Diagnosed with) osteoporosis or osteopenia Recent fracture, severe injury or severe contusion of the lower extremities, back, or shoulders Any disease or disorder that may influence the safety of the training (e.g. severe cardiopulmonary disease) Use of medication known to increase fall risk (antidepressants, benzodiazepines, sedatives, hypnotics, antipsychotics) Use of painkillers that can decrease responsiveness (e.g. morphine, oxycodone) Inability to provide written informed consent and communicate in Dutch Inability to follow instructions due to cognitive problems (MOCA score of <25/30) Any health condition that is known to affect balance or walking (e.g. neurological/muscular diseases, neuropathy, sensory disorders) Foot or ankle problems Weight > 110 kg Recent major surgery (<6 months) Recent hospitalization (<3 months) Previous experience with perturbation training
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The main study parameter is the performance measure for each task-specific fall-resisting skill. For proactive gait adaptability, this is the number of obstacles hit, for gait robustness the percentage increase in belt speed that the subject can tolerate before an observable deviation from steady-state gait stability occurs, and for reactive gait recovery it will be the number of recovery steps the subject takes after a perturbation. Besides the performance skill, the margin of stability during each task will be measured, as well as different biomechanical measures of step parameters, movement variability, and stability. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Falls efficacy measures Different domains of falls efficacy will be measured by using the questionnaires below: ABC scale (Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale) Balance recovery scale PAMF (Perceived Ability to Manage Risk of Falls) FES-I (Falls Efficacy Scale - International) Fear of Falling questionnaire Cognitive assessments and patient-reported outcome measures The questionnaires below assess cognitive functioning and different patient-reported outcome measures: MOCA Pictorial Fit-frail scale EQ5D-5L Dizziness handicap inventory Sensory assessments Locomotor Sensory Organization Test Including additional conditions to assess sensory organization during walking (walking with foam insoles and with visual conflict) Relative proprioceptive reweighting Dynamic visual acuity Gait adaptability test: Interactive walkway Clinical balance tests Mini-BEST test Timed Up and Go (TUG) test Biomechanical and coordination changes Electromyography (EMG) will be used to assess muscle activation patterns, providing insight into neuromuscular control and coordination changes. Acceptability and feasibility To gather feedback and perspectives from the participants on the training interventions, we will gather their opinions on the acceptability and feasibility of the training intervention. The questions we will ask them are f.i. about how they experienced the training and felt about the training, whether they noticed any effects of the training, and if they found the training difficult. Fall incidence The number of falls and near falls will be collected up until the 6-month follow-up. | — |
Countries
Belgium, Netherlands
Contacts
Public ContactE.G. Hulst
Universiteit Maastricht
Outcome results
None listed