NCT04069481

Dance for the Improvement of Balance and Gait After Stroke

Dance for the Improvement of Balance and Gait After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 136 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University Health Network, Toronto · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Stroke can drastically impact the ability to walk and keep your balance. In addition people with chronic stroke feel social isolated, become less satisfied with their walking and lose confidence in their ability to move without falling. Ned new treatments are needed for walking and balance. Dancing is a fun, social activity that has similar benefits to traditional exercise. Another benefit of dancing is the use of music, which improves mood, increases motivation and can even improve motor performance. Finally, moving in synchrony with other people during dancing can make people feel connected. We believe that dance classes can benefit people with stroke, but few studies have been done. The objective of our project is to conduct a randomized controlled trial to test whether dance can improve balance and walking for people with chronic stroke. The investigators are also interested in whether dancing improves people's confidence in their ability to do activities without losing their balance (i.e. balance confidence), decreases their feelings of isolation and increases their quality of life.

Detailed description

This study is a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effects of an adapted dance program for people with chronic stroke. Participants with stroke living in the community will be randomly assigned to either the dance group or the control group. Participants will attend classes 2 times a week for 12 weeks. The primary outcomes are change in balance balance (measured with the Mini BESTest) and change in gait speed. Participants will be assessed before and after the 12 week program.

Conditions

• Chronic Stroke

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Dance	One-hour class, twice a week. Classes include dance warm up exercises, various dance movements and choreography that include coordinated whole body movements through space synchronized to music.
OTHER	Mindfulness meditation and Exercise	One hour class, twice a week. Classes include upper and lower extremity stretching and resistance exercises and mindfulness meditation, that includes body scan technique and breathing exercises.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-01-01
• Primary completion: 2021-12-31
• Completion: 2021-12-31
• First posted: 2019-08-28
• Last updated: 2019-08-28

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada