NCT04636645

Effects of Lower Limb Positive Pressure on the Balance of Community-dwelling Older Adults

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 90 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Riphah International University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 55 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

With the onset of the sixth decade in life, degenerative processes affect the neuromuscular system in terms of losses in muscle strength (dynapenia) and muscle mass (sarcopenia). Neural (e.g., numerical loss of alpha motoneurons) and morphological factors. Borde et al. 123 number and size of particularly type-II muscle fibers), as well as their interaction, are responsible for age-related declines in muscle strength and mass. There is evidence that muscular weakness is highly associated with impaired mobility and an increased risk for falls. Moreover, lower extremity muscle weakness was identified as the dominant intrinsic fall-risk factor with a five-fold increase in the risk of falling. An anti-gravity treadmill allows users to walk or run in a reduced body weight environment. The user walks or runs on a treadmill belt surrounded by an enclosed, air-filled chamber. When air pressure increases, an upward force offloads the weight of the runner and decreases the percentage of body weight (BW%) experienced upon foot impact. So, a research question was developed in our mind after the literature review. Is there any effect of AGT training on fall risk of older adults?

Conditions

• Old Age
• Fall

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Normal treadmill	Participants will exercise for 25 minutes under low-load walking conditions three times a week for 8 consecutive weeks on the AGT treadmill at a set speed of 3.1 mph at 0-degree incline. For each session, 20% support will be given to participants.
OTHER	Anti-gravity treadmill with lower limb positive pressure	Participants will be exercised for 25 minutes under normal-load walking conditions three times a week for 8 consecutive weeks on the AGT treadmill at a set speed of 3.1 mph at 0-degree incline. Participants will be blinded to the study groups.
OTHER	Anti-gravity treadmill with without lower limb positive pressure	Participants will be exercised for 25 minutes three times a week for 8 consecutive weeks on the normal treadmill at a set speed of 3.1 mph at a 0-degree incline. Participants will be blinded to the study groups.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-11-19
• Primary completion: 2021-12-30
• Completion: 2021-12-30
• First posted: 2020-11-19
• Last updated: 2021-08-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Pakistan