Clinical trial NCT05734443: Effects of Task-Specific Step Training on Reactive Balance
Official title: Effects of Task-Specific Step Training on Reactive Balance After Laboratory-Induced Trips: a Pilot Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Accidental Fall
Lead sponsor: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2023-02-21
Enrollment: 30
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 65
Maximum age (years): 80
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of a novel form of balance training called trip training. Trip training typically involves repeatedly exposing an individual to trip-like losses of balance on a specialized treadmill. This repeated exposure can lead to improvements in responses to trips while walking in the future, thereby reducing the risk of falling after a trip. Trip training typically is commonly conducted using a costly specialized treadmill. This study will evaluate the efficacy of a trip training protocol that does not require a treadmill. Adults age 65-80 will be assigned to either 1) non-treadmill trip training, 2) treadmill trip training, or 3) no intervention. The investigators hypothesized that responses to laboratory-induced trips would be better after non-treadmill trip training compared to no intervention, and that there would be no statistical difference between responses to laboratory-induced trips after non-treadmill trip training and treadmill trip training. The results from this work will advance the use of trip training, and may enable its wider use by establishing a protocol that does not require a costly treadmill.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* 65-80 years old
* willing to use wearable sensors for 2-3 weeks (for a separate study)
* no lower limb amputation
* not weigh over 250 pounds
* pass a telephone interview related to cognitive status

Exclusion Criteria:

* participants must pass a health screening involving a questionnaire that will be reviewed by a health care specialist.
* participants must not have clinical osteoporosis as indicated by a bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebra and proximal femur of t\<-2.0 as obtained from dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), or a DEXA scan completed within the last year.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Trunk angle at touchdown of the first recovery step
timeFrame: during the week after the 3-weeks of intervention
measure: Trip outcome
timeFrame: during the week after the 3-weeks of intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Trunk angular velocity at touchdown of the first recovery step
timeFrame: during the week after the 3-weeks of intervention
measure: Recovery step length
timeFrame: during the week after the 3-weeks of intervention
measure: Minimum hip height after trip onset
timeFrame: during the week after the 3-weeks of intervention
measure: Gait speed
timeFrame: during the week after the 3-weeks of intervention
measure: Average step speed
timeFrame: during the week after the 3-weeks of intervention
Other outcomes:
measure: Trip recovery strategy
timeFrame: during the week after the 3-weeks of intervention
Locations:
city: Blacksburg
country: United States
facility: Virginia Tech
state: Virginia
Study officials:
affiliation: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
name: Michael L. Madigan, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: