Not provided
| ID | Type | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| P20GM109090 | U.S. NIH Grant/Contract | View source |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) | NIH |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
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.
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recurrent fallers - control group | Active Comparator | In this control arm, older adults will have a typical forward walking training that mirror the lateral stepping intervention: 3 days/week for 6 weeks, resulting in a total of eighteen sessions. Each session consists of six trials of 3 min forward walking. The participants can increase their pace at the start of each trial but may not decrease it at the next session. |
|
| Recurrent fallers - intervention group | Experimental | In this experimental arm, older adults will have a lateral stepping intervention: 3 days/week for 6 weeks, resulting in a total of eighteen sessions. Each session consists of six trials of 3 min sideways walking across a 10 m walkway changing body direction at the ends, thus alternating lead and lag limbs. The participants can increase their pace at the start of each trial but may not decrease it at the next session. |
|
| Older non-fallers intervention group | Experimental | In this experimental arm, older adults will have a lateral stepping intervention: 3 days/week for 6 weeks, resulting in a total of eighteen sessions. Each session consists of six trials of 3 min sideways walking across a 10 m walkway changing body direction at the ends, thus alternating lead and lag limbs. The participants can increase their pace at the start of each trial but may not decrease it at the next session. |
|
| Younger adult control group | Active Comparator |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lateral stepping | Behavioral | Subjects will step laterally, changing direction every 10 m, thus alternating lead and lag limbs. |
|
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Step width variability | The standard deviation of step width. Step width was measured as the mediolateral distance between the locations of the sequential left and right heel strikes | Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
| Step length variability | The standard deviation of step length. Step length was measured as the anteroposterior distance between the locations of the sequential left and right heel strikes. | Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
| Swing time variability | The standard deviation of swing time. Swing time was measured as the time elapse during the swing phase of a leg. | Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
| Stride time variability | The standard deviation of stride time. Stride time was measured as the time between 2 consecutive ipsilateral heel strikes. | Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
| Stance time variability | The standard deviation of stance time. Stance time was measured as the time elapse during the stance phase of a leg. | Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
| Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) | The Timed-Up-and-Go test is used to assess mobility in older adults. It measures the time to get up from chair, walk 3 m, turn around, walk back, and sit down |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Walking speed | Self-selected forward walking and sideways walking speed | Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
| Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Brief Pain Inventory - short form (BPI) | The short form of Brief Pain Inventory score (BPI) (4 Pain severity items, max score: 40; 7 Pain interference items, max score: 70) is used to measure the impact of pain on daily functions. Higher score suggests higher pain intensity (severity), and/or higher impact of pain on functioning (interference). | Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
Inclusion Criteria:
Subjects must
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:
Medications will not prevent inclusion in the study however they will be recorded to enable consideration in subsequent post-hoc analyses.
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Andreas Skiadopoulos, PhD | Research Associate | Principal Investigator |
| Nicholas Stergiou, PhD | Assistant Dean | Study Director |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Nebraska-Omaha, Biomechanics Research Building | Omaha | Nebraska | 68182 | United States |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 33446112 | Derived | Skiadopoulos A, Stergiou N. Risk-of-falling related outcomes improved in community-dwelling older adults after a 6-week sideways walking intervention: a feasibility and pilot study. BMC Geriatr. 2021 Jan 14;21(1):60. doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02010-6. |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Older adults will be screened and will be randomly assigned to three groups - (i) non-fallers, (ii) recurrent fallers - control group, and (iii) recurrent fallers - intervention group. A fourth group consisted of healthy young adults. This group will receive lateral stepping intervention and outcomes will be measured as a reference.
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Outcome measures from a young healthy group will also be measured as a reference. Will be used to compare outcome measured between older and young adults. Young adults will have a lateral stepping intervention: 3 days/week for 6 weeks, resulting in a total of eighteen sessions. Each session consists of six trials of 3 min sideways walking across a 10 m walkway changing body direction at the ends, thus alternating lead and lag limbs. The participants can increase their pace at the start of each trial but may not decrease it at the next session.
|
|
| Forward walking | Behavioral | Subjects will have a typical forward walking |
|
|
| Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
| Berg Balance Test (BBS) | The Berg Balance Test (14 items, max score: 56) is used to measure the functional balance in older adults. It consists of 14 tasks performed in a standardized order with each task scored on a five-point scale according to quality or time ranging from "0" (lowest level of function) to "4" (highest level). | Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
The Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) questionnaire (16 items, max score: 64) is used to assess confidence in the performance of activities relevant to daily life. Participants rate 16 individual activities on a scale from 1 (not at all concerned) to 4 (very concerned).
| Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
| Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) | The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (11 items, max score: 30) is used to measure cognitive impairment. It consists of 11 questions grouped into 7 cognitive tasks. A score of 30 suggests no presence of cognitive impairment. | Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |
| Geriatric Depression Scale - short form (GDS) | The Geriatric Depression Scale - short form (GDS) (15 items, max score: 15) is used to measure self-rated depressive symptoms of depression. A score of 5 or more suggests depression. | Baseline and Post-Intervention: immediate, and 6 weeks after the completion of the intervention |