Pilot Study of Virtual Gait Training in Older Adults

Pilot Study of Effects of Virtual Gait Training on Walking Stability in Older Adults

Older individuals suffer from falls and fear of falling. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a novel virtual gait training on walking performance and fear of falling in older adults, and to evaluate the feasibility of the virtual gait training program. The investigators hypothesize that virtual gait training in older adults over a three week period will both improve gait parameters as measured by a GAITRite® electronic walkway system, and reduce their fear of falling as measured by the Falls Efficacy Scale-International version.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Frail Elderly
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Virtual Gait Training

Detailed Description

The objectives of this study are to determine the effectiveness of virtual gait training on walking performance and fear of falling in older adults and to evaluate the feasibility of the virtual gait training. This prospective interventional study plans to include twelve residents of senior assisted living facilities in Basel, Switzerland, aged 65 years or older with no severe physical or cognitive disabilities, and who had fallen at least once in the preceding 12 months. Each participant will complete 14 12-minute virtual gait training sessions within a three-week period. Gait parameters will be quantified with the GAITRite® electronic walkway system, and fear of falling evaluated with the Falls Efficacy Scale-International version. The investigators hypothesize that 14 virtual gait training sessions in older adults over a three week period will both improve gait parameters as measured by a GAITRite® electronic walkway system, and reduce their fear of falling as measured by the Falls Efficacy Scale-International version.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 12
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • BS
    • Basel, BS, Switzerland, 4031
      • Mobility Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 65 years and older (OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• older than 65 years of age
• fall within last 6 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• cognitive deficits
• physical disability

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: CROSSOVER
• Masking: SINGLE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
NO_INTERVENTION: Inactive Comparator
EXPERIMENTAL: Virtual Gait Training	Behavioral: Virtual Gait Training; The intervention consisted of 12-minute virtual gait training sessions once daily for a total of 14 weekdays within a three-week period. The intervention video showed walking legs of a 30-year-old woman for female and a 46-year-old man for male participants. The video screen was adjusted in height such that it corresponded to the legs of the standing participant, with a mirror placed above it. Participants began the training session with a circa one minute of concentration on the upcoming intervention. Afterwards, the video was started. Participants were instructed to stand (when necessary, to sit) and observe the video and mirror, and to imagine themselves walking. Training sessions were supervised by a physical therapist who gave additional instructions and comments regarding participants' visual/kinesthetic imagination of themselves performing the observed movement. Verbal and physical reactions during training sessions were documented in written form and sometimes videotaped.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
gait speed	gait speed measure with GAITRite® electronic walkway system	Change from baseline in gait speed at 3 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
fear of falling	total score on Falls Efficacy Scale-International version	change from baseline at end of week 3

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Reto W Kressig, MD, Dept. of Geriatrics, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): August 1, 2011
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): August 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 16, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 29, 2012
• First Posted (ESTIMATE): May 30, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE): May 30, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 29, 2012
• Last Verified: May 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: falls; walking; healthy older individuals; virtual gait training
• Other Study ID Numbers: JBMP-VGTinOA-pilot; EK:113/11 (OTHER_GRANT: Velux Foundation Grant Project Number 727)