Changes in Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters During a Digitally Assisted Self-rehabilitation Program for Elderly Fallers ( DigiWalk ) (DigiWalk)

August 3, 2026 updated by: University Hospital, Angers

Falls are a health issue that is both common among older adults (affecting 1 in 2 people each year after age 80) and serious due to their traumatic, psychological, and functionally disabling complications. The international literature shows that it is possible to prevent recurrent falls by addressing the risk factors for falls, particularly by combating a sedentary lifestyle and deconditioning through regular standing and mobility exercises as part of a rehabilitation program. As part of France's major national plan to prevent falls among older adults, and at a time when medicine is becoming increasingly personalized, prescribing a digitally assisted self-rehabilitation program for people over 65 following a fall could enable as many people as possible to benefit from rehabilitation that boosts their motivation and reduces the time spent by healthcare professionals, while ensuring high-quality follow-up care.

LNA Santé, in collaboration with the Angers and Nantes University Hospitals, has developed a personalized, digitally assisted fall prevention program (the Stand'hop app) comprising three types of activities: tailored physical exercises, structured lifestyle advice, and an objective measurement of the patient's physical activity. Before moving forward with a larger-scale clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of this personalized, digitally assisted fall prevention program, the present study DigiWalk aims to describe changes in walking performance over 7 weeks among older adults who have experienced falls, when the program is used as an adjunct to standard care, compared to changes observed in older adults who have experienced falls and receive only standard care.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The main objective is to compare changes in spatiotemporal gait parameters, after 7 weeks of intervention, in :

  • Elderly fallers with a digitally assisted self-rehabilitation program in addition to standard care
  • Elderly fallers with standard rehabilitation care

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

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

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients aged 65 and older Fall at least once in the previous 3 months , requiring rehabilitation care from a physical therapist
  • Signed informed consent or consent from a third party (trusted individual, family member, or close relative)
  • Individuals physically capable of following a rehabilitation program (standard care, with or without digital assistance) and of wearing a watch
  • Individuals capable of following a self-rehabilitation program as well as the study procedures independently or with the assistance of a caregiver if needed
  • Patients enrolled in or covered by a social security program

Exclusion Criteria:

  • A person deprived of liberty by an administrative or judicial decision, a person undergoing involuntary psychiatric treatment, or an adult subject to a legal protective measure
  • Contraindications to rehabilitation programs offered following a fall (standard care, with or without digital assistance)

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Sham Comparator: Control Group
Other: Control Group
Standard rehabilitation care
Active Comparator: Intervention Group
Other: PFPP Group
Digitally assisted self-rehabilitation program in addition to standard care using Personalized Fall Prevention Program (PFPP) through the Stand'hop app.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in the spatiotemporal gait parameters between V1 and V3 : stride length Spatiotemporal gait parameters as measured using GAITRite®
Time Frame: this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
Changes in the spatiotemporal gait parameters between V1 and V3 : Percentage of double support time Spatiotemporal gait parameters as measured using GAITRite®
Time Frame: this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
Changes in the spatiotemporal gait parameters between V1 and V3 : Coefficient of variation of stride time Spatiotemporal gait parameters as measured using GAITRite®
Time Frame: this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
Walking speed (km/h).
Time Frame: this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
Walking speed (km/h). Spatiotemporal gait parameters as measured using GAITRite®
this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of falls
Time Frame: baseline, 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
baseline, 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
Gait stability measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone (in percentage)
Time Frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
Apple Healthkiit / appleWalkingSteadiness : Samples that match the Walking Steadiness identifier use percentage units (described in HKUnit)
1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
Time spent performing activities involving whole-body movements (minutes), measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone.
Time Frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
Number of hours per day during which the participant stood and moved for at least one minute per hour. Measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone.
Time Frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
Time spent standing (minutes), measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone.
Time Frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
Maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max), measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone.
Time Frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
Number of daily steps, measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone.
Time Frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)
Changes in the number of calories burned per day Calories burned per day, are measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone.
Time Frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
1 week and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
Number of hospitalizations since the V1 visit
Time Frame: 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
Change of residence since the V1 visit (Yes or No)
Time Frame: 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
Changes in functional abilities measured by "Activities of Daily Living" (ADL) score (6 items)
Time Frame: baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
_ /6 ; 0 being the worse and 6 the better
baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
Death (Yes or No)
Time Frame: 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
Program adherence is measured by the number of completed self-rehabilitation sessions for Intervention Group
Time Frame: 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
Changes in SPPB score, at V1 and V3 Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score
Time Frame: baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
_/12; Adding up the scores from all the tests yields an overall performance score out of 12. A score below 8 indicates a risk of sarcopenia.
baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
Number of falls showing signs of severity
Time Frame: baseline, 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
If at least one fall met the criteria for severity, how many falls show signs of severity ?
baseline, 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)
Changes in functional abilities measured by Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) score (4 items)
Time Frame: baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)
_ /4; 0 being the worse and 4 the better
baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University Hospital, Angers

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Cédric ANNWEILER, Pr., Angers Universitary Hospital (CHU)

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 (Estimated)

December 5, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 22, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 22, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

July 28, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 3, 2026

Last Verified

August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 49RC26_0272
  • 2026-A01541-50 (Registry Identifier: ID-RCB)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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.

Subscribe