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Training Improves Balance Control

This study has been completed.
Sponsor:
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Boston University
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT01547988
First received: February 29, 2012
Last updated: March 5, 2012
Last verified: March 2012
History of Changes
  Purpose

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.


Condition Intervention
Accidental Falls
 Other: Balance Training Intervention

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single Blind (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: Improving Balance Control and Self-Reported Lower Extremity Function in Community Dwelling Older Adults - A Randomized Control Study

Resource links provided by NLM:

U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by Boston University:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Reaction time of dual task step execution [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    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).


Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Late Life Functional Disability Index - LLFDI [ Time Frame: 12 weeks ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Self-reported measure of function


Enrollment: 66
Study Start Date: October 2001
Study Completion Date: August 2003
Primary Completion Date: February 2003 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Arms Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Balance Training Intervention
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
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.
No Intervention: Reference Group Other: Balance Training Intervention
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.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   65 Years and older
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   Yes
Criteria

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
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01547988

Locations
United States, Massachusetts
NeuroMuscular Research Center, Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
Sponsors and Collaborators
Boston University
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Lars IE Oddsson, PhD NeuroMuscular Research Center, Boston University
  More Information

Publications:

Responsible Party: Boston University
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01547988     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: RRF 2001-056
Study First Received: February 29, 2012
Last Updated: March 5, 2012
Health Authority: United States: Institutional Review Board

Keywords provided by Boston University:
Aging
Falls
Balance Control
 Voluntary Step Execution Test
Dual-Task
Self-reported function

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 18, 2013