Health TrialsbyHealthPanel

Vestibular Training on Community Ambulation and Fall Risk in Stroke

ConditionStroke
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-80
SponsorNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

About this trial

Nearly half of individuals with stroke experience limitations in community ambulation, and 35.7% of community-dwelling stroke survivors experienced falls while walking, indicating that falls are common during routine daily activities in community settings. Sensory reweighting refers to the ability to appropriately prioritize and integrate sensory inputs to maintain postural stability. Stroke survivors often demonstrate impaired sensory reweighting, characterized by excessive reliance on visual and proprioceptive cues and insufficient integration of vestibular information. This deficit adversely affects postural control and subsequently compromises gait performance and fall risk .In addition, many individuals with stroke exhibit reduced gaze stability during walking and turning, suggesting potential impairments in the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), a key mechanism for maintaining stable vision during head movement. Insufficient gaze stability has been associated with gait disturbances; therefore, deficits in sensory reweighting and VOR function may contrib-ute to limited community ambulation and increased fall risk. Although previous studies have primarily focused on general balance training, few have directly targeted vestibular input. Thus, the effectiveness of vestibular-specific training for improving community ambulation and reducing fall risk in chronic stroke remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the effects of vestibular training on community ambulation and fall risk in individuals with chronic stroke.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Diagnosis of First-occurrenced stroke

≥ 6 months after stroke

Ability to walk at least 400 meters with or without the use of a walking assistive device

Mini-Mental State Examination score ≥ 24

Disqualifiers

Other neurological or musculoskeletal conditions affected postural stability

Presence of dizziness or vertigo

Presence of conditions affecting cervical blood flow or limiting cervical range of motion

Visual impairment

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Vestibular training

    Other intervention

    Gaze stabilization exercises and balance training under visual and head-movement challenges to stimulate vestibular input and maintain balance.

  • Conventional physical therapy

    Other intervention

    Strength, posture, gait, and functional training.

Treatment groups

40 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Vestibular training groupExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Conventional physical therapy GroupActive comparator 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Walking Ability Questionnaire

Using Walking Ability Questionnaire to evaluate community ambulation ability.

Time frame
Baseline, 4 weeks after training, and 4-week follow-up
2

Community Walking Speed

Using a timer to measure average walking speed in the community

Time frame
Baseline, post-intervention, 4 weeks after training, and 4-week follow-up
3

Taiwan Chinese version of the Falls Efficacy Scale

Using Taiwan Chinese version Falls Efficacy Scale to evaluate fall risk

Time frame
Baseline, 4 weeks after training, and 4-week follow-up

Secondary outcomes

1

Functional Gait Assessment

Using Functional gait assessment to evaluate walking performance

Time frame
Baseline, 4 weeks after training, and 4-week follow-up
2

Six-minute Walk Test

Using Six-minute Walk Test to evaluate walking endurance

Time frame
Baseline, 4 weeks after training, and 4-week follow-up
3

Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test

Using Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test to evaluate balance performanc

Time frame
Baseline, 4 weeks after training, and 4-week follow-up
4

Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale

Using Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale to evaluate individual's balance confidence in performing daily activities

Time frame
Baseline, 4 weeks after training, and 4-week follow-up

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University

Lead sponsor

Source ClinicalTrials.gov

This trial is not recruiting at the moment. You can still explore other options: