Study of the Relationship Between the Strength of Ankle Movement Muscles and Postural Parameters in Elderly Fallers: Towards New Strategies for Screening and Management

February 2, 2026 updated by: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon
The quality of life of elderly citizens is to a great extent related to the maintenance of independence. The risk of falling and the loss of autonomy are two frequent problems associated with ageing. Although the impact of falls on functional outcomes and morbi-mortality in the elderly is well-established, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these falls are poorly understood. To better assess the risk of falling, numerous studies have investigated the use of dynamic and static posturography. These studies sought to characterise populations of fallers and non-fallers using parameters from postural analysis. Nonetheless, a new concept may emerge: weakening of the ankle movement muscles may be implicated in the age-related deterioration of posture. Even though it has been shown that this decrease occurs earlier and is more severe in fallers, the direct relationship between the strength of ankle movement muscles and balance parameters in elderly fallers has not yet been established. The existence of such a relationship would make it possible on the one hand to facilitate screening for those with a risk of falling, and on the other hand to enrich our understanding of the pathophysiology of the risk of falling. The perspective would therefore be to propose programmes focused on the strengthening of these deficient muscles.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
34

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • France
      • Dijon, France, 21000
        • CHU Dijon Bourgogne

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

patients followed at the Pôle de rééducation et de réadaptation

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Control group:

  • Subjects who have provided written informed consent
  • Subjects with national health insurance cover
  • Subjects aged between 60 and 90 years old
  • Able to understand simple instructions and exercise instructions and to provide informed consent
  • with no diseases that could compromise postural abilities and ankle muscle strength.
  • Subjects who have not experience a sudden uncontrolled fall in the absence of outside factors in the 6 months preceding inclusion.

Patients group

  • Subjects who have provided written informed consent
  • Subjects with national health insurance cover
  • Subjects aged between 60 and 90 years old
  • Able to understand simple instructions and exercise instructions and to provide informed consent
  • Subjects who have experienced at least one sudden uncontrolled fall in the absence of outside factors in the 6 months preceding inclusion.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Acute balance disorders (central vestibular syndrome, infection or toxic cause)
  • Chronic vestibular disease with proven clinical repercussions
  • Any severe neuro-orthopedic disease impairing balance as well as physiological impairments due to ageing Any chronic neurological disorder (stroke, Parkinson syndrome…)
  • Any psychiatric disorder able to compromise participation
  • Non-corrected vision disorder
  • Cancer or any progressive disease
  • Treatment with psychotropic agents able to impair vigilance and posture
  • Patients under guardianship
  • Patients with an ADL score <3 (total of 6 points), reflecting a clinically obvious high risk of falling

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Control
Other: BERG scale
Complete the BERG balance scale
Other: Functional tests
timed up and go, Mini motor test, retropulsion test
Other: Measurement of balance on a force platform
4 trials of 30 seconds x 2 conditions (eyes open; eyes closed)
Other: Measurement of maximal moment of the plantar flexor and dorsiflexor muscles
5-second repetitions
Other: Measurement of the moment of the plantar flexors and dorsiflexors corresponding to RMS activity during balance measurements
3 10-second repetitions
Patient
Other: BERG scale
Complete the BERG balance scale
Other: Functional tests
timed up and go, Mini motor test, retropulsion test
Other: Measurement of balance on a force platform
4 trials of 30 seconds x 2 conditions (eyes open; eyes closed)
Other: Measurement of maximal moment of the plantar flexor and dorsiflexor muscles
5-second repetitions
Other: Measurement of the moment of the plantar flexors and dorsiflexors corresponding to RMS activity during balance measurements
3 10-second repetitions

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
The sum of the moments of strength developed by the plantar flexor and dorsiflexor muscles (i.e. combined moment) in both ankles
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 month
Through study completion, an average of 1 month
Mean total displacement of the Centre of Pressure in millimetres during the different stabilometry recordings.
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 month
Through study completion, an average of 1 month

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Dijon

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 13, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 13, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 17, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
February 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 2, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • GREMEAUX DRCI 2009-2

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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