Training Improves Balance Control

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Official Title
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Improving Balance Control and Self-Reported Lower Extremity Function in Community Dwelling Older Adults - A Randomized Control Study

Conditions
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Accidental Falls

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Balance Training Intervention


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 65 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: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Balance Training Intervention<br>The Balance Training Intervention group received 24 training sessions over three months that included perturbation as well as dual-task exercises. | Other: Balance Training Intervention<br>* 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.<br>|
| No Intervention: Reference Group<br> | Other: Balance Training Intervention<br>* 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.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reaction time of dual task step execution | 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). | 12 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Late Life Functional Disability Index - LLFDI | Self-reported measure of function | 12 weeks | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Aging, Falls, Balance Control, Voluntary Step Execution Test, Dual-Task, Self-reported function