Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Not Yet Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT05107817

Aquatic Exercise and Reactive Balance

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.

Not Yet Recruiting

Trial opening soon.

Get Notified

Key information

Conditions

Aging Accidental Falls Aged Behavior Exercise Exercise Therapy Motor Activity Postural Balance

Age range

65 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

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).

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

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

Treatment and study plan

Exercise intervention

Other

A ball catching and throwing exercise.

Primary outcomes

  1. Reaction time measures (REACH)

    Time frame: Immediately before the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.

    Hand contact time during REACH following the cable release will be calculated.

  2. Reaction time measures (STEP1)

    Time frame: Immediately before the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.

    Foot-off time during STEP following the cable release will be calculated.

  3. Reaction time measures (STEP2)

    Time frame: Immediately before the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.

    Foot contact time during STEP following the cable release will be calculated.

  4. Rapid response accuracy

    Time frame: Immediately before 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.

  5. Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test

    Time frame: Immediately before 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).

  6. Reaction time measures (REACH)

    Time frame: Immediately after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.

    Hand contact time during REACH following the cable release will be calculated.

  7. Reaction time measures (STEP1)

    Time frame: Immediately after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.

    Foot-off time during STEP following the cable release will be calculated.

  8. Reaction time measures (STEP2)

    Time frame: Immediately after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.

    Foot contact time during STEP following the cable release will be calculated.

  9. Rapid response accuracy

    Time frame: Immediately 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.

  10. Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test

    Time frame: Immediately 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).

  11. Reaction time measures (REACH)

    Time frame: 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.

  12. Reaction time measures (STEP1)

    Time frame: 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.

  13. Reaction time measures (STEP2)

    Time frame: 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.

  14. Rapid response accuracy

    Time frame: 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.

  15. Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test

    Time frame: 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).

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Eadric Bressel

CONTACT

[email protected]

4357977216

Youngwook Kim

CONTACT

[email protected]

4352945504

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Eadric Bressel

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Catching and Throwing Exercises to Improve Reactive Balance: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol for the Comparison of Aquatic and Dry-land Training Environments

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Nov 4, 2021
Registry last updated
Apr 8, 2025

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.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.