The Effect of Feldenkrais Lessons on Walking and Balance

September 21, 2006 updated by: University of Melbourne
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of a series of Feldenkrais movement lessons on mobility and balance, particularly for older adults. The investigators hypothesise that mobility and balance will improve following the classes.

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Detailed Description

The Feldenkrais Method is an educational process which involves exploration of novel movement sequences that lead to expansion of the movement repertoire. This Method has been used with the aim of improving balance and mobility in several studies, and has been compared to the benefits of Tai Chi for improving balance in older adults. The current study investigates the effects of a 10 week series of Feldenkrais movement classes on gait parameters as measured on an instrumented gait mat, a balance test of stepping and turning (the Four Square Step Test) and a questionnaire about balance confidence (the Activites Specific Balance Confidence scale.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

60

Phase

  • Phase 1

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

    • Victoria
      • Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3010
        • University of Melbourne

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

Ages Eligible for Study

65 years to 90 years (Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • community dwelling older adults (aged over 65)
  • able to independently ambulate indoors and outdoors

Exclusion Criteria:

  • currently undergoing physiotherapy treatment
  • unable to comprehend written english
  • unable to give informed consent
  • walking with a walking frame indoors

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

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Balance Confidence (as measured by ABC scale)
Tempo-spatial parameters of gait
Time to complete Four Square Step Test

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Study Director: Mary Galea, PhD, B App Sc (PT), University of Melbourne

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.

Helpful Links

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

September 1, 2004

Study Completion

December 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 13, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 13, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

September 22, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 22, 2006

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 21, 2006

Last Verified

September 1, 2006

More Information

Terms related to this study

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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