Reactive Balance Training in Augmented Reality for Older Adults
ConditionHealthy Subjects (HS)
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age60+
SponsorThe Hong Kong Polytechnic University
About this trial
This is a single-blinded study. The participants will be equally randomized to either the reactive balance training with augmented reality (RBT+AR) group or the control (treadmill walking) group. Changes in postural stability, functional mobility/strength, balance performance, quality of life, balance confidence, muscle activation, and executive function following RBT+AR compared to treadmill walking only will be investigated.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
Community-dwelling adults aged 60 years old or older
Able to communicate effectively in Cantonese or Mandarin
Able to walk independently on level ground for at least 30 minutes
Abbreviated Mental Test (Hong Kong version) scores > 6
Disqualifiers
Uncorrected vision or hearing impairment
Osteoporosis
Have a history of hip or knee replacement
Resting blood pressure ≥ 160/100 mmHg
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Reactive balance training with augmented reality group
BehavioralIt will be two sessions of treadmill-based RBT with 240 forward and backward perturbations, simulating tripping and slipping, while walking with augmented reality headsets. Each session will last approximately one hour. Participants will be instructed to recover their balance and continue walking after each perturbation.
Treadmill walking
BehavioralIt will be a two sessions training with each session lasting for approximately an hour. The same training duration and format will be used as the experimental group, except that no perturbations and augmented reality will be induced during the treadmill walking.
Treatment groups
36 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Reactive balance training with augmented reality groupExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Control groupActive comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Postural stability
Postural stability at the recovery steps after the perturbation will be calculated as the distance between the absolute center of mass (CoM) position in an anteroposterior direction relative to the closest edge of the Base of Support (BoS) normalized by foot length. The absolute CoM position and BoS position will be traced by the motion capture system synchronized with the force plates embedded underneath the slip-treadmill belts.
Time frame
Pre-intervention, 1 week after intervention and 4 months after intervention.Secondary outcomes
1
Generic balance ability
Generic balance ability will be assessed by the Brief-BESTest. Brief-BESTest can challenge balance across anticipatory postural adjustments, postural responses, sensory orientation and stability in gait, allowing for comprehensive examination of improvements that occur in reactive control. As a shortened version of the BESTest, the Brief-BESTest is an 8-item balance assessment containing 1 item for each of the 6 subsections of the BESTest.
Time frame
Pre-intervention, 1 week after intervention and 4 months after intervention.2
Mobility
Mobility will be assessed by Timed Up and Go test and Dual-Task Timed Up and Go test (in the unit of seconds)
Time frame
Pre-intervention, 1 week after intervention and 4 months after intervention3
Number of real-life falls
The number of real-life falls in months after randomization will be recorded. Fall circumstances and related injuries will be required via phone contact. A fall is defined as an event resulting in a person unintentionally coming to rest on the ground or other lower level, not as the result of a major intrinsic event (e.g., syncope, stroke, or overwhelming hazard such as an earthquake).
Time frame
1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 4 months, 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, 8 months, 9 months, 10 months, 11 months, and 12 months after the intervention.4
Dynamic balance
Dynamic balance will be assessed by Alternative Step Test (in the unit of seconds).
Time frame
Pre-intervention, 1 week after intervention and 4 months after intervention.Sponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov