Aquatic Exercise and Reactive Balance

Not Applicable

Not yet recruiting

• Conditions: Aging; Exercise Therapy; Accidental Falls; Exercise; Postural Balance; Aged
• Interventions: Other: Exercise intervention

• Registration Number: NCT05107817
• Lead Sponsor: Eadric Bressel

Brief Summary

The present clinical trial aims to identify if skills acquired during aquatic exercise are more effectively transferred to a reactive balance task than land exercise. This study is designed as a double-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial. Forty-four older adults aged 60 years or above who meet the eligibility criteria will be recruited and randomized into an aquatic exercise group or land exercise group. Each group will participate in the same balance training exercise during a single session that includes a ball throwing and catching task. A modified lean-and-release test will be implemented on land immediately before, after, and one week after the training session. The outcomes will include reaction time, rapid response accuracy, and mini-BESTest scores obtained from stepping and grasping reactions.

Detailed Description

During the modified lean-and-release test, there are two possible settings: 1) the leg block is placed in front of both legs, and a safety handle is uncovered; or 2) the leg block is removed, and the safety handle is covered. The leg block and handle cover will be controlled via computer-triggered, servo motors. The testing session will be comprised of three blocks: 1) REACH (grasping a safety handle using their right hand while maintaining both feet fixed), 2) STEP (stepping forward using any leg), and 3) RANDOM (random variations of STEP and REACH).

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2021-10-14
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-10-25
• Study First Posted: 2021-11-04
• Status Verified: 2025-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2025-04-03
• Last Update Posted: 2025-04-08
• Study Start: 2026-01
• Primary Completion: 2027-09
• Study Completion: 2027-09

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 44

Inclusion Criteria

• Ability to stand using a double-leg stance for one minute of time
• Ability to walk independently
• Normal or corrected to normal vision
• Normal or corrected to normal hearing based on a qualitative assessment

Exclusion Criteria

• Any neurological or musculoskeletal disorders that may inhibit the participation in the training and testing protocols
• A concussion within the past one year before the participation
• Any cognitive deficiencies (e.g., memory, concentration, or attention disorder)
• One or more 'yes' answered on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
• Fear of water

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Aquatic Exercise group	Exercise intervention	Participants will engage in a single session of training consisting of 120 repetitions of a ball throwing and catching task in water.
Land Exercise group	Exercise intervention	Participants will engage in a single session of training consisting of 120 repetitions of a ball throwing and catching task on dry land.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Reaction time measures (STEP1)	One week after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.	Foot-off time during STEP following the cable release will be calculated.
Reaction time measures (STEP2)	One week after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.	Foot contact time during STEP following the cable release will be calculated.
Reaction time measures (REACH)	One week after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.	Hand contact time during REACH following the cable release will be calculated.
Rapid response accuracy	One week after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.	For the RANDOM block, response accuracy, defined as the percentage of accurate responses, will be calculated. To represent a composite measure of accuracy and speed of response, rapid response accuracy will be calculated using the ratio of response accuracy to the reaction time (%/ms). Foot-off and hand contact data will be used for the calculation.
Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test	One week after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.	During the REACH, STEP, and RANDOM blocks, the quality of the compensatory reactions will be scored using the Reactive Postural Control section of the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test. The scores will be ranged from 0 (worst) to 2 (best).