Evaluation of a Balance-Recovery Specific Falls Prevention Exercise Program - Full Text View

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the potential to train compensatory stepping and grasping reactions for the prevention of falls.

Condition	Intervention	Phase
Accidental Falls	Behavioral: Balance training (exercise) Other: Flexibility and relaxation exercise	Phase I

MedlinePlus related topics:

Exercise and Physical Fitness

U.S. FDA Resources

Study Type:	Interventional
Study Design:	Treatment, Randomized, Double Blind (Subject, Outcomes Assessor), Placebo Control, Parallel Assignment, Efficacy Study

Official Title:	Development and Evaluation of a Perturbation-Based Balance-Training Program for Older Adults

Further study details as provided by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre:

Primary Outcome Measures:

Ability to recover balance by stepping and grasping [ Time Frame: Before and after 6-week intervention ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:

Fall frequency; clinical measures related to balance and fall risk (e.g. FallScreen, Community Balance and Mobility Scale, balance confidence) [ Time Frame: One year post-intervention ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Enrollment:	37
Study Start Date:	November 2005
Study Completion Date:	March 2008
Primary Completion Date:	March 2007 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

Arms	Assigned Interventions
PERT: Experimental Perturbation-based balance training.	Behavioral: Balance training (exercise) Perturbation-based balance training. 30-minute sessions three times per week for six weeks.
CON: Placebo Comparator Flexibility and relaxation training.	Other: Flexibility and relaxation exercise 30-minute sessions, three times per week for six weeks.

Detailed Description:

Physical activity and exercise have been shown to prevent falling in older adults, although the exact mechanisms by which exercise prevents falls is unclear. Compensatory stepping and grasping reactions are frequently used to prevent a fall to the ground following a loss of balance. Age-related impairment in these reactions may be related to an increased risk of falling. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate means for reversing age-related impairment in compensatory stepping and grasping reactions. A training program involving perturbation-evoked reactions will be evaluated.

Comparison(s): Balance recovery ability before and after a 6-week training program will be assessed. Performance of the training group will be compared to a control group not receiving stepping and grasping training.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:	64 Years to 80 Years
Genders Eligible for Study:	Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:	Yes

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Community dwelling
History of falls (at least 1 fall in the past 12 months) or poor balance
Functional mobility (no dependence on mobility aids)

Exclusion Criteria:

Neurological or musculoskeletal disorder
Cognitive disorder (e.g. dementia)
Osteoporosis

Contacts and Locations

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00187317

Locations


Canada, Ontario
	Centre for Studies in Aging, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
	Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4N 3M5

Sponsors and Collaborators

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Investigators


Principal Investigator:	Brian Maki, PhD, PEng	Sunnybrook & Women's College Health Sciences Centre; University of Toronto

More Information

Click here for more information about the Centre for Studies in Aging This link exits the ClinicalTrials.gov site

Publications of Results:

Mansfield A, Peters AL, Liu BA, Maki BE. A perturbation-based balance training program for older adults: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMC Geriatr. 2007 May 31;7:12.

Other Publications:

Maki BE, McIlroy WE, Perry SD. Influence of lateral destabilization on compensatory stepping responses. J Biomech. 1996 Mar;29(3):343-53.

Province MA, Hadley EC, Hornbrook MC, Lipsitz LA, Miller JP, Mulrow CD, Ory MG, Sattin RW, Tinetti ME, Wolf SL. The effects of exercise on falls in elderly patients. A preplanned meta-analysis of the FICSIT Trials. Frailty and Injuries: Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques. JAMA. 1995 May 3;273(17):1341-7.

Rogers MW, Johnson ME, Martinez KM, Mille ML, Hedman LD. Step training improves the speed of voluntary step initiation in aging. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003 Jan;58(1):46-51.

McIlroy WE, Maki BE. Age-related changes in compensatory stepping in response to unpredictable perturbations. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1996 Nov;51(6):M289-96.

Maki BE, McIlroy WE. Change-in-support balance reactions in older persons: an emerging research area of clinical importance. Neurol Clin. 2005 Aug;23(3):751-83, vi-vii. No abstract available.

Maki BE, Cheng KC, Mansfield A, Scovil CY, Perry SD, Peters AL, McKay S, Lee T, Marquis A, Corbeil P, Fernie GR, Liu B, McIlroy WE. Preventing falls in older adults: new interventions to promote more effective change-in-support balance reactions. J Electromyogr Kinesiol. 2008 Apr;18(2):243-54. Epub 2007 Sep 4.

Responsible Party:	Centre for Studies in Aging ( Brian Maki )
Study ID Numbers:	NET-54025-01
First Received:	September 9, 2005
Last Updated:	August 4, 2008
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00187317
Health Authority:	Canada: Health Canada

Keywords provided by Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre:

Exercise

Rehabilitation

Postural Balance

Accidental Falls

Geriatrics

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 04, 2008

Sponsors and Collaborators:	Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Information provided by:	Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00187317