Intrinsic Foot Muscle Strengthening Interventions for Older Adults

The Effects of Intrinsic Foot Muscle Strengthening Interventions on Balance, Proprioception, Foot Structure, and Fall Risk in Adults Over Age 65

Falls are the leading cause of injury in adults over age 65. Muscle weakness in the foot can lead to foot and toe deformities such as collapsed arches or bunions, which have been found to contribute to falls in adults over age 65. The current research study aims to investigate the effectiveness of two simple and affordable foot strengthening methods that may make a major impact on balance and fall prevention in older adults.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Accidental Fall
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Intrinsic foot muscle strengthening exercises; Other: Minimal footwear with prescribed walking; Other: Control

Detailed Description

Background: Falls are the leading cause of injury in adults 65 years and older. While causes of falls are multifactorial, foot function plays a vital role. The intrinsic foot muscles (IFM), those that originate and insert within the foot, provide stability and sensory input important for balance. Weakness or disuse of the IFM in older adults can contribute to faulty foot and toe alignment, which have been cited as independent predictors of falls. Wearing minimally cushioned footwear or performing strengthening exercises that target the IFM may improve these muscles' strength, endurance, proprioceptive qualities, and foot/toe structure, which may improve functional mobility and balance in older adults, and thus, prevent falls.

Purpose: The purpose of the proposed research is to analyze the effects of two IFM strengthening interventions (minimal footwear use or strengthening exercises) on IFM strength, proprioception, foot/toe structure, balance and functional mobility, and fall risk in older adults.

Design: Randomized control trial with an effectiveness-implementation hybrid design Type I

Methods: Adults ages > 65 years who can ambulate household distances with or without an assistive device who are determined to be at risk for falls will be invited to participate. Individuals with poor foot sensation, vestibular disorders, lower extremity amputation, injury or surgery to the lower extremities or lumbar spine in the previous 6 months, impaired cognitive ability to follow verbal and written instructions, and those who have participated in a fall prevention program in the past 6 months will be excluded. Following informed consent and initial screening, participants will be randomly allocated to one of three intervention groups (n=90, 30/group):

1. intrinsic foot muscle strengthening exercises
2. minimal footwear prescribed walking
3. control (will receive a fall prevention brochure and seated active motion exercises)

Participants will be encouraged to perform interventions 5 days/week for 16 weeks. After an initial in-person instruction session, participants will have 1 follow-up meeting to review instructions, after which they will receive bimonthly phone calls as a reminder to adhere to the intervention and to record any falls and related details. Participants will be asked to record intervention performance, daily step count (measured by pedometer), and falls in provided diaries. Balance, functional mobility, and fall risk will be measured using the Mini-BesTest, proprioception will be measured using the Lower Extremity Position Test, foot and toe structure will be measured using navicular drop and valgus angle of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint. Cross sectional area (cm2) of the abductor hallucis, flexor hallucis brevis, flexor digitorum brevis, and quadratus plantae muscles will be measured using ultrasound imaging. Measures regarding balance and functional mobility, proprioception, foot/toe structure, and muscle cross sectional area will occur at baseline, 8 and 16 weeks, and 1 year. Following the 16-week intervention period, participants will be encouraged to continue their intervention twice per week. Ongoing falls diaries and bimonthly phone calls from researchers will occur for 12 months after baseline to record long-term fall rate (falls per person per year). In addition, a process evaluation will be performed regarding participant impressions of the interventions and other study activities to inform future research and clinical implementation.

Data Analysis: a 4 group x 4 time point repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) will be used to assess changes in balance, and functional mobility, proprioception, foot/toe structure, and muscle cross sectional area. Falls data will be measured as the rate of falls per person in a 12-month period beginning with the date of the baseline measure, and change in fall risk status will be assessed using Mini-BesTest scores. Implementation data will undergo both quantitative and qualitative analyses.

Significance: Intrinsic foot muscle strengthening interventions have seldom been studied in older adults and their effects and mechanism are not established. This will be the first study to assess the effects of these interventions on proprioception in older adults, the first to use ultrasound imaging measurement following intrinsic foot muscle strengthening in older adults, and the first study to analyze the long-term effects on falls after the performance of these specific interventions. The interventions assessed in this research proposal are simple, safe, and affordable and may have a major impact on functional mobility and reduction of falls for older adults.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 90
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Erin Futrell, PhD; Phone Number: 413-748-3590; Email: efutrell@springfieldcollege.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Regina Kaufman, EdD; Phone Number: 413-748-3475; Email: rkaufman@springfieldcollege.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, 01027
      • Recruiting
      • Springfield College
      • Contact: Erin Futrell; Phone Number: 413-748-3590; Email: efutrell@springfieldcollege.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Can ambulate household distances (16 meters) with or without an assistive device
• Have fall risk based on a "yes" to any of the Three Key Questions Do you feel unsteady when standing or walking? Do you worry about falling? Have you fallen in the past year? OR
• Have a fall risk based on Timed Up and Go score (> 12 seconds)

Exclusion Criteria:

• poor foot sensation (Semmes-Weinstein)
• lower extremity amputations
• lumbar spine or lower extremity injury or surgery in the past 6 months
• impaired cognitive ability to follow verbal or written instructions (MMSE)
• vestibular disorders
• based on self-report and/or the Vestibular Screening Tool (score > 4)
• participation in a fall prevention program in the previous 6 months

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intrinsic foot muscle exercise; This group will perform intrinsic foot muscle strengthening exercises	Other: Intrinsic foot muscle strengthening exercises; participants will perform specific toe and foot motions that recruit plantar intrinsic foot muscles, 3 sets of 10 for each exercise, 5 days per week
Active Comparator: Minimal Footwear; This group will perform prescribed walking in and daily wear of minimally cushioned footwear	Other: Minimal footwear with prescribed walking; Participants will be provided minimal footwear. They will walk 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week, and be prescribed a gradual increased time in minimal footwear during daily activities (up to a maximum of 7.5 hours per day).
Sham Comparator: Control; This group will be given a falls prevention brochure and seated upper extremity and lower extremity active range of motion activities.	Other: Control; Participants will perform seated upper and lower extremity active range of motion activities 5 days per week. They will also be given a brochure on fall prevention tips.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Mini BesTest scores	a comprehensive measure of balance, gait, and functional mobility (max score 28 and indicates good balance/mobility and low fall risk)	Baseline
Change in Mini BesTest scores	a comprehensive measure of balance, gait, and functional mobility (max score 28 and indicates good balance/mobility and low fall risk)	8 weeks post intervention
Change in Mini BesTest scores	a comprehensive measure of balance, gait, and functional mobility (max score 28 and indicates good balance/mobility and low fall risk)	16 weeks post intervention
Change in Mini BesTest scores	a comprehensive measure of balance, gait, and functional mobility (max score 28 and indicates good balance/mobility and low fall risk)	1 year post intervention
Change in intrinsic foot muscle cross-sectional area/strength	real-time ultrasound imaging will measure muscle size (cross-sectional area) of the abductor hallucis, flexor hallucis brevis, flexor digitorum brevis, quadratus plantae, and abductor digiti minimi muscles of the right foot	Baseline
Change in intrinsic foot muscle cross-sectional area/strength	real-time ultrasound imaging will measure muscle size (cross-sectional area) of the abductor hallucis, flexor hallucis brevis, flexor digitorum brevis, quadratus plantae, and abductor digiti minimi muscles of the right foot	8 weeks post intervention
Change in intrinsic foot muscle cross-sectional area/strength	real-time ultrasound imaging will measure muscle size (cross-sectional area) of the abductor hallucis, flexor hallucis brevis, flexor digitorum brevis, quadratus plantae, and abductor digiti minimi muscles of the right foot	16 weeks post intervention
Change in intrinsic foot muscle cross-sectional area/strength	real-time ultrasound imaging will measure muscle size (cross-sectional area) of the abductor hallucis, flexor hallucis brevis, flexor digitorum brevis, quadratus plantae, and abductor digiti minimi muscles of the right foot	1 year post intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in hallux valgus angle	a goniometer will be used to measure the angle of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint of the right foot	Baseline
Change in hallux valgus angle	a goniometer will be used to measure the angle of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint of the right foot	8 weeks post intervention
Change in hallux valgus angle	a goniometer will be used to measure the angle of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint of the right foot	16 weeks post intervention
Change in hallux valgus angle	a goniometer will be used to measure the angle of the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint of the right foot	1 year post intervention
Change in navicular drop measure	the Navicular Drop Test will measure the amount of foot pronation in sitting and standing	Baseline
Change in navicular drop measure	the Navicular Drop Test will measure the amount of foot pronation in sitting and standing	8 weeks post intervention
Change in navicular drop measure	the Navicular Drop Test will measure the amount of foot pronation in sitting and standing	16 weeks post intervention
Change in navicular drop measure	the Navicular Drop Test will measure the amount of foot pronation in sitting and standing	1 year post intervention
Change in proprioception measure	The Lower Extremity Proprioception Test will be used to capture proprioception of the foot, ankle, and knee in sitting	Baseline
Change in proprioception measure	The Lower Extremity Proprioception Test will be used to capture proprioception of the foot, ankle, and knee in sitting	8 weeks post intervetion
Change in proprioception measure	The Lower Extremity Proprioception Test will be used to capture proprioception of the foot, ankle, and knee in sitting	16 weeks post intervention
Change in proprioception measure	The Lower Extremity Proprioception Test will be used to capture proprioception of the foot, ankle, and knee in sitting	1 year post intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Springfield College
• Collaborators: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Erin Futrell, PhD, Springfield College

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 16, 2022
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): September 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Anticipated): September 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 31, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 24, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): April 25, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 25, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 24, 2023
• Last Verified: April 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: older adults; muscle strength; falls; proprioception; balance; feet
• Other Study ID Numbers: U01CE003495 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No