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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT01475448

Long Distance Running Training by Older Adults

The goal of this project is to understand the effect of regular practice of long distance running on the posture and movement control of older adults.

For such, the investigators will conduct an experiment with longitudinal design where sedentary elderly individuals will be trained in long distance running for about 4 months.

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Key information

Conditions

Physical Activity Aging Behavior Motor Activity

Age range

60 year–85 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Laboratory of Biophysics

São Paulo, 05508030, Brazil

About this study

In a study the investigators conducted about elderly runners, the main observed difference by the first time was that elderly individuals present greater foot abduction (toe-out) during running than young adults. This alteration has been observed in elderly individuals in general during walking, and identified as a protective mechanism to not overload the medial compartment of the knee joint. It is also known that elderly individuals present a different joint torque distribution in the lower limbs during walking in comparison with young adults. However, it's not known the relation between the movement patterns, particularly the foot abduction pattern, and the mechanical load on the knee joint during running by elderly individuals and neither the longitudinal effect of running practice on this relation and on the mechanical joint load distribution. Another unknown aspect is the actual effect of the running practice on the posture control of elderly individuals.

With this project, the investigators want to understand why elderly individuals change their movement pattern during running, to determine for the same subjects if this altered pattern is also present during walking and standing, and to determine the effect of running practice on the elderly posture control. Our hypotheses are that the strategy of greater foot abduction is present in all movement tasks and that the use of this strategy is related to the integrity of the knee joint, even considering the highly active elderly individuals and that the practice of running contributes for a better postural control in this population.

These findings will contribute for a greater understanding of the benefits of the practice of running and the adaptations developed by the elderly runners and in this way to contribute for the prescription of this activity to the elderly population.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Sedentary
  • Independent bipedal locomotion

Exclusion criteria

  • Inapt for practicing physical activity
  • Severe alteration of the muscle-skeletal system
  • Cognitive or neurological deficit
  • Use of orthosis for locomotion

Treatment and study plan

Long distance training

Other

Long distance training during four months, 3 times per week

Walking training

Other

Walking training during four months, three times per week

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline of posture and movement patterns at 16 weeks

    Time frame: Two weeks before and two weeks after the training for sixteen months

    biomechanical and physiological measures of the posture and movement patterns

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline of mechanical joint moments estimated by inverse dynamics at 16 weeks

    Time frame: Two weeks before and two weeks after the training for four months

    Estimated joint moments by inverse dynamics at the ankle, knee, and hip joints during the support phase of walking and running

  2. Change from baseline of muscle activity measured by surface electromyography of selected muscles of the lower limb at 16 weeks

    Time frame: Two weeks before and two weeks after the training for four months

    Electromyographic activity of lower limb muscles during walking and running

  3. Change from baseline of body sway measured by estabilography with a force plate during standing at 16 weeks

    Time frame: Two weeks before and two weeks after the training for four months

    Measurements of balance control during quiet and unconstrained standing using a force platform.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Sao Paulo

Other

Collaborators

  • Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo

Registry information

Official study title

Effects of Long Distance Running Training on the Posture and Movement Control of Sedentary Older Adults

Important dates

Study start
2012
Primary completion
2012
Study completion
2012
First posted
Nov 21, 2011
Registry last updated
May 5, 2015

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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