Effect of Observation Plus Imagination of Gait on Stride Variability in Young and Older Adults

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The aim of study is to examine the combined effect of observation and imagination of gait on stride time variability of stride time among in healthy young and older adults.

Detailed Description
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JUSTIFICATION : In geriatric rehabilitation, gait reeducation, especially after a fall, is often encountered at the very beginning, to the inability to walk again. The main reasons are poorly controlled pain, immobilisations of a segment or the entire lower limb and adaptation to certain prostheses after fracture. This delay in walking recovery leads briefly to acute postural disadaptation that exposes to multiple decubitus complications such as infections, bedsores and muscular atrophy. Conventional rehabilitation techniques are then difficult to implement because they are poorly adapted to the geriatric patients. Today, many experimental data suggest a functional equivalence between making a movement, imagining and observing it. These data can be used to support the development of new rehabilitation techniques. For example, mental imagery is used in the learning of complex movements in order to improve motor performance. Stride variability, and more specifically stride time variability was identified as the best marker of the automatic walking, a low variability corresponding to an automatic and safety gait. We hypothesize that the combined effect of observation and imagination of a gait using an imposed cadency cadency may reduce stride time variability of stride time in healthy young and older adults. The secondary objectives of the study are as follows: To examine the combined effect of observation and imagination of a gait on mean value of spatio-temporal parameters in healthy young and older adults. To study the influence of age on the combined effect of observation and imagination of gait on mean value and coefficient of variation of spatio-temporal parameters in healthy young and older adults

Official Title
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Effect of Observation Plus Imagination of Gait on Stride Variability in Young and Older Adults

Conditions
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Gait Variability; Elders; Fall; Re-education

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Observation & imagination
* Other: Reading


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Age ≥ 20 years Able to walk without walking aid on 15 metres Written informed consent to participate in the study (or trustworthy person) Being affiliated to a social security regime Exclusion Criteria: Osteoarticular pathologies of the lower limbs and / or spine altering the biomechanical characteristics of the body members. Ataxia History and / or progressive neuropsychiatric disorders. Score in the 4-items Geriatric Depression Scale > 1. Enrolment in another simultaneous clinical trial (Participation in a concomitant clinical trial.) Civil defense measures underway (Measures civil protection type trusteeship / guardianship / safeguarding justice in progress.) Refusal to participate

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 20 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Intervention<br>15 young patients (<65 years old) and 15 older patients (>64 years old) are submitted to an observation phase and an imagination phase of walking at a precise rythm for 10 minutes | Other: Observation & imagination<br>* It is a combination of an observation phase followed by an immediate imagination phase of a straight gait with an imposed cadency.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Reading<br>15 young patients (<65 years old) and 15 older patients (>64 years old) are submitted to a reading phase on a computer for 10 minutes. | Other: Reading<br>* A 10 minutes reading phase of François Mauriac's Therese Desqueyroux on a computer<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mean value of stride time variability | measured by the coefficient of variation (COV= standard deviation/Average) x 100. | this outcome is assessed at baseline and 10 minutes later. | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Average value of all spatio-temporal gait parameters and age. |  | this outcome is assessed at baseline and 10 minutes later. | 
| Clinical characteristics of participants | Age. Gender. Medical and surgical history. Age of acquisition of walking Practice of regular physical activity. Practice of sport. Personal characteristics: weight, size, height of the lower limbs. Number of different therapeutic classes taken per day. Proprioception of lower limb using a graduated diapason (normal maximum score of 8) | this outcome is assessed at baseline. |