Variability of Movement on an Altered Inertial Dynamics Task

Variability of Movement on an Altered Inertial Dynamics Task

The overall goal of this research is to compare the effects of two different exercise programs on gait function in older adults. The investigators want to determine if participation in lateral stepping exercise program for six weeks will improve gait functions compared to forward walking exercise program.

The overall goal of this research is to compare the effects of two different exercise programs on gait function in older adults. It is expected that improved control of foot placement in the lateral stepping task will transfer to improved control during typical forward walking. Moreover, it is expected that lateral stepping gait training will have a greater effect on recurrent fallers older adults than on the non-fallers older adults and young adults. It is also expected that the above beneficial results will be retained in a follow-up test six weeks after completion of the intervention and will result in improvements in common clinical balance tests that are used to assess fall risk. Therefore, in the current proposal, older adults aged 65 years of age and over are being asked to participate.

Inclusion Criteria:

Subjects must

• be aged between 19 and 35 for the young adult group
• be over 65 years of age for the older adult groups
• be independently residing in the community
• be able to provide informed consent
• be able to walk independently without an assistive device or 30 minutes in three-minute sections interspersed with rest periods.

The older participants must either have sustained two or more falls in the past year (i.e. Fallers) or not have sustained any falls in the past year (i.e. Non-Fallers).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Neurological disorder or progressive neurologic condition - epilepsy, Alzheimer disease and other dementias, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, brain infections, brain tumors.
• Movement disorder - ataxia, dystonia, Huntington's disease, myoclonus, Parkinson disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, Wilson disease.
• History of Cardiovascular events this includes any history of heart problems (such as heart attack, chest pain, or conditions which affect the heart's muscles, valves, or rhythm)
• Current injury or moderate to severe pain affecting the lower limbs, pelvis, back, trunk.
• Surgery within the past 6 months.
• Current participation in any other study that involves walking, balance, or training.

Medications will not prevent inclusion in the study however they will be recorded to enable consideration in subsequent post-hoc analyses.