Impact of Force Control of Hip Abductor Muscles in Healthy Adults and Individuals With Parkinson's Disease

Impact of Force Control of Hip Abductor Muscles on Postural Control in Middle-aged and Older Adults and Individuals With Parkinson's Disease

Both aging and Parkinson's disease (PD) negatively affect postural control and increase the risk of falls, with frontal plane balance being particularly challenging for these populations. While previous studies have mainly focused on sagittal plane balance, the contribution of hip abductor muscles remains unclear, especially regarding their force production and control abilities. Therefore, this study aims to investigate hip abductor muscle force production and force control, and to examine whether these factors are associated with postural control, gait, and balance performance in individuals across different ages and those with PD.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Aging; Parkinson's Disease (PD)
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Age; Other: Parkinson's disease (PD)

Detailed Description

Both aging and Parkinson's disease (PD) negatively affect postural control and increase the risk of falls, with frontal plane balance being particularly challenging for these populations. Previous studies have mainly focused on sagittal plane balance and have identified the important roles of ankle plantar flexors and knee extensors; however, the contribution of hip abductor muscles-key muscles for frontal plane stability-remains unclear, particularly in terms of their force production and control abilities. Therefore, this study aims to investigate hip abductor muscle force production and force control, and to examine whether these factors are associated with postural control, gait, and balance performance in individuals across different ages and those with PD. Healthy young, middle-aged, and older adults will be recruited from the community, and individuals with PD will be recruited from the Department of Neurology. Healthy participants must be in good health, able to walk independently, demonstrate normal cognitive function, and provide informed consent, while those with neurological, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, or other conditions affecting motor performance will be excluded. For individuals with PD, inclusion criteria will be a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD, Hoehn and Yahr stages 1 to 3, stable anti-PD medication use, and the ability to follow instructions and walk at least 10 m. Exclusion criteria will include psychiatric, immune, integumentary, or musculoskeletal disorders, neurological conditions other than PD, lower extremity pain, uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, or inability to provide informed consent. All participants will undergo a one-time assessment, including maximal voluntary isometric contraction, force steadiness, postural control, and gait performance.

Surface electromyography will be used to assess neuromuscular function, postural control will be evaluated using a force plate under multiple standing conditions, and gait parameters will be measured at both comfortable and fast walking speeds. Statistical analyses will be conducted using ANOVA to examine group differences.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 210

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Chu-Ling Yen; Phone Number: 3059 886-3-2118800; Email: clyen@mail.cgu.edu.tw

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taoyuan, Taiwan
    • Recruiting
    • Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
    • Contact: Chu-Ling Yen; Phone Number: 3059 886-3-2118800; Email: clyen@mail.cgu.edu.tw
  • Taoyuan, Taiwan
    • Recruiting
    • Chang Gung University
    • Contact: Chu-Ling Yen; Phone Number: 3059 886-3-2118800; Email: clyen@mail.cgu.edu.tw

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

This study recruits healthy elderly individuals, healthy middle-aged individuals, healthy young individuals, and individuals with PD.

Description

Healthy people

Inclusion Criteria:

• 20 to 39 years (young), 40 to 59 years (young), and 60-85 years (old)
• generally in good health
• able to walk 10 m independently
• able to follow all instructions

Exclusion Criteria:

• neurologic, psychiatric, immune, integumentary, and musculoskeletal diseases or disorders which might influence this study
• any pain over the lower extremities
• uncontrolled cardiovascular diseases
• unable to provide informed consent.

PD

Inclusion Criteria:

• clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD
• Hoehn and Yahr stages 1 to 3
• stable anti-PD medications
• able to walk 10 m independently
• able to follow all instructions

Exclusion Criteria:

• psychiatric, immune, integumentary, and musculoskeletal diseases or disorders which might influence this study
• neurological conditions other than PD
• any pain over the lower extremities
• uncontrolled cardiovascular diseases
• unable to provide informed consent.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Healthy people; General healthy adults	Other: Age; We compare the young, middle-aged, and old groups; Other: Parkinson's disease (PD); We compare the healthy group and PD group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maximal force	The maximal force of lower extremity muscles	Baseline
Rate of torque development	The ability to rapidly generate muscle force	Baseline
Force steadiness	The ability to maintain a constant force output during a submaximal contraction	Baseline
Walking speed	The time taken by participants to walk a standardized distance	Baseline
Step Length	The linear distance between the two ankles, typically expressed in centimeter(cm).	Baseline
Cadence	The number of steps taken per minute (SPM)	Baseline
Single Support Time	The duration within the gait cycle when only one foot is in contact with the ground, typically measured in seconds or as a percentage of the total gait cycle.	Baseline
Double Support Time	The portion of the gait cycle where both feet are in contact with the ground, indicating the transition phase between steps, expressed as a percentage of the gait cycle or in seconds.	Baseline
Swing Time	The portion of the gait cycle where the foot is not in contact with the ground, moving forward to the next step. It is usually expressed as a percentage of the total gait cycle or in seconds.	Baseline
Timed Up-and-Go Test	Tthe time an individual takes to stand up from a chair, walk 3 meters, turn around, walk back, and sit down.	Baseline
Four Square Step Test	Participants will be required to perform four square step test by changing directions while stepping forward, sideway, and backward over a low obstacle as fast as possible.	Baseline
Center of Pressure (COP) Velocity in Balance Tasks	The speed at which the COP moves, calculated over the duration of the balance task. Higher velocities may reflect more dynamic balance adjustments or instability. Unit：millimeter per second(mm/s)	Baseline
Center of Pressure (COP) Area in Balance Tasks	The area covered by the COP trajectory during the balance task, providing an estimate of the sway envelope. A larger area might indicate poorer balance control. Unit：square millimeter(mm^2)	Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
• Collaborators: Chang Gung University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Chu-Ling Yen, Chang Gung University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2029

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 25, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 1, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 4, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Parkinson's disease; balance; muscle force; Old; gait performance; force steadiness
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Synucleinopathies; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Movement Disorders; Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Parkinson Disease; Physiological Phenomena; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Psychological Tests; Growth and Development; Neuropsychological Tests; Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Aging
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202202289A3

Drug and device information, study documents

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