The Influence of Vestibular and Muscle-Tendon Capacities on Locomotor Stability, Plasticity and Falls Incidence

Recruiting

Conditions: ageing and falls risk
falls
imbalance

Registration Number: NL-OMON52987

Lead Sponsor: niversiteit Maastricht

Brief Summary: Not available

Detailed Description: Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: Recruiting

Sex: Not specified

Target Recruitment: 60

Inclusion Criteria

Young healthy adults:
• Between 20 and 30 years old
• No known musculoskeletal disease, condition or injury that could negatively
affect walking or balance ability
• No history of balance problems, dizziness or walking difficulties
• No participation in elite level competitive sports
• Must be able to walk at a comfortable speed for 30 minutes without stopping
• Informed consent given
Older healthy adults:
• Between 65 and 80 years old
• No known musculoskeletal disease, condition or injury that could negatively
affect walking or balance ability
• No history of balance problems, dizziness or walking difficulties
• Must be able to walk at a comfortable speed for 30 minutes without stopping
• Informed consent given

Exclusion Criteria

• Not being able or willing to undergo the CAREN measurements following
briefing and/or familiarization with the system and protocol
• Incapacitated patients
• Not being able to stop medication against anxiety or depression, if taken
(after consulting their general practitioner)
• Not wanting to be informed about any incidental findings (e.g. potential
vestibulopathy detected in healthy subjects)
• Is, or in the course of the study becomes, pregnant

Study & Design

Study Type: Observational non invasive

Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
<p>The reactive adaptation potential measured during the locomotor plasticity<br /><br>assessment protocol with the CAREN will be the main parameter of the study.<br /><br>This will be calculated as the magnitude of change in the margin of stability<br /><br>at touchdown of the first step after the perturbation before and after<br /><br>repetition of the perturbation.</p><br>

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
<p>• Margins of stability, step width, length and cadence at touchdown of the<br /><br>first and following recovery steps after each perturbation<br /><br>• Various characteristics (e.g. local divergent exponent) of unperturbed<br /><br>walking at various speeds<br /><br>• For the young subject group: difference at each step and perturbation after 1<br /><br>month (calculated as a percentage) in order to calculate locomotor retention<br /><br>• For the older group: falls incidence, type and cause of falls, and fear of<br /><br>falling from questionnaire data</p><br>