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NCT Number: NCT05449730

An Investigation of the Gait Performance and Balance in Yoga Instructors

Yoga is a popular exercise and thought to be beneficial to many aspects such as mood, flexibility and balance, etc. Gait performance is a indicator of overall health and functional status. This study aims to investigate whether or not yoga instructors have a more symmetric gait pattern and better balance ability than healthy people without experience of performing Yoga. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) will be used to gather data related to gait symmetry and single leg stance balance. A comparison by four performance indexes related to gait symmetry and balance will be made to quantify the potential advantages of yoga practice.

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Key information

Conditions

Gait Balance Yoga

Age range

25 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Cheng Hsin General Hospital

Taipei, 112, Taiwan

About this study

Yoga is a form of exercise with a focus on the structural alignment of the physical body. As Yoga movements involve a complex motion of core muscles and lower limb muscles, this exercise may be beneficial for gait stability. Gait performance is a sensitive indicator of overall health and functional status, and gait impairment can lead to a high risk of falling or diminished mobility. It was hypothesized that yoga instructors may have a more symmetric gait pattern and better balance ability than healthy non-yoga controls. Impact of yoga training on gait symmetry and single leg stance balance will be investigated. Twenty five yoga instructors and twenty five age/sex-matched healthy subjects will be recruited to conduct walking and static stability tests and these subjects' gait data and body movements will be measured during the experiments by attaching inertial measurement units (IMUs) to their lower limbs and trunks. Calculation of the subjects' asymmetry of swing phases during their gait cycles will be done to evaluate the gait performance. Afterwards, subjects will conduct four different one-leg stance tests. Two balance indexes will be defined and the recorded IMU data will be applied to evaluate the subjects' balance ability. Four performance indexes will then be defined to assess gait performance and single leg stance stability to quantify the potential advantages of yoga practice.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

[Yoga instructor]

Inclusion criteria

  • overall good health and can cooperate with orders reasonably
  • between the ages of 25 to 60 years old
  • practicing three to six days per week and at least ten years of experience in yoga

Exclusion criteria

  • limb or leg discrepancy
  • history of surgery on the lower limbs or spine
  • history of musculoskeletal injury over the lower back in the past six months

[Healthy control]

Inclusion criteria

  • overall good health and can cooperate with orders reasonably
  • between the ages of 25 to 60 years old
  • participated in regular exercise 2 or 3 times a week

Exclusion criteria

  • limb or leg discrepancy
  • history of surgery on the lower limbs or spine
  • history of musculoskeletal injury over the lower back in the past six months
  • experience of Yoga practicing

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

  1. Gait performance index of normal walk

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    asymmetric level of the swing phases calculated by IMU when performing normal walk

  2. Gait performance index of Tandem gait with eyes open

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    asymmetric level of the swing phases calculated by IMU when performing Tandem gait with eyes open

  3. Gait performance index of Tandem gait with eyes closed

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    asymmetric level of the swing phases calculated by IMU when performing Tandem gait with eyes closed

  4. Open eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes open

  5. Open eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes open

  6. Closed eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes closed

  7. Closed eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes closed

  8. Open eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes open

  9. Open eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes open

  10. Closed eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes closed

  11. Closed eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar

    Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment

    absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes closed

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Cheng-Hsin General Hospital

Other

Collaborators

  • National Taiwan University

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Jul 8, 2022
Registry last updated
Aug 31, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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