Treadmill balance training in older adults
Trial question
What is the effect of treadmill perturbation-based balance training in community-dwelling older adults?
Study design
Single center
Open label
RCT
Population
Characteristics of study participants
56.0% female
44.0% male
N = 140
140 patients (79 female, 61 male).
Inclusion criteria: community-dwelling adults ≥ 65 years of age and were able to walk without a walking aid.
Key exclusion criteria: orthopedic surgery within the past 12 months; osteoporosis or osteoporosis-related fractures; progressive neurological disease; an unstable medical condition preventing safe participation; severe cognitive impairment.
Interventions
N=70 perturbation-based balance training (four 20-minute perturbation-based balance training sessions, with postural disturbances induced by sudden treadmill accelerations).
N=70 treadmill walking training (four 20-minute regular treadmill walking sessions at the patient's preferred walking speed).
Primary outcome
Daily-life fall rates in past 12 months
0.9
1.14
1.1
0.9
0.6
0.3
0.0
Perturbation-based balance
training
Treadmill walking
training
No significant
difference ↔
No significant difference in daily-life fall rates in the past 12 months (0.9 vs. 1.14; RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.48 to 1.27).
Secondary outcomes
No significant difference in patients with at least 1 fall (49% vs. 57%; RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.2).
No significant difference in median time to first fall (94 days vs. 123 days; HR 0.7, 95% CI 0.43 to 1.14).
No significant difference in patients with at least 1 fall-related injury (24% vs. 34%; RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.43 to 1.25).
Conclusion
In community-dwelling adults ≥ 65 years of age and were able to walk without a walking aid, perturbation-based balance training was not superior to treadmill walking training with respect to a daily-life fall rates in the past 12 months.
Reference
Jens Eg Nørgaard, Stig Andersen, Jesper Ryg et al. Effect of Treadmill Perturbation-Based Balance Training on Fall Rates in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Apr 3;6(4):e238422.
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