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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01547988

Training Improves Balance Control

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a group-based functional and specific balance training program on balance function in healthy older adults. It is commonly considered difficult to improve balance function in healthy older adults. The program included dual-task exercises; physical training exercises and a cognitive task (e.g. reading or reciting a story) performed simultaneously, as well as perturbation exercises, where balance is challenged in unexpected ways.

The investigators hypothesized that following the proposed training, older adults would improve their speed of taking a step in both single and dual task conditions, refine their ability to control balance when standing still and improve their self-reported physical function.

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Key information

Conditions

Accidental Falls

Age range

65 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

NeuroMuscular Research Center, Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts, 02215, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • 65 years or older
  • Independently ambulatory (cane acceptable; not walker)
  • Score better than 45 on the Berg Balance Scale
  • Higher than 24 Mini-Mental Score

Exclusion criteria

  • Severe focal muscle weakness or visual impairment
  • Known neurological disorders (including stroke, Parkinson disease)
  • Metastatic cancer
  • Use of medication that impairs balance or strength

Treatment and study plan

Balance Training Intervention

Other

The intervention group participated in a total of 24 one-hour training sessions over a period of 12 weeks. The training program utilized different size balls as a general tool in a series of progressively more difficult exercises targeting sitting, standing, and gait-related balance control. The program included exercises at five different levels of progressively more challenging balance exercises. Levels 1-4 focused on voluntarily controlled balance exercises, whereas level 5 also included perturbation exercises to trigger automatic compensatory stepping responses. All levels included attention-demanding dual task exercises that required subjects to simultaneously perform motor and cognitive activities.

Primary outcomes

  1. Reaction time of dual task step execution

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Subjects stand on a force platform and are asked to execute a step as rapidly as possible following a tactile stimulus on their heel while performing a cognitive attention demanding task (Stroop task - call out colors of words that are names of colors, e.g. the word "BLUE" is presented in yellow letters).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Late Life Functional Disability Index - LLFDI

    Time frame: 12 weeks

    Self-reported measure of function

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Boston University Charles River Campus

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Improving Balance Control and Self-Reported Lower Extremity Function in Community Dwelling Older Adults - A Randomized Control Study

Important dates

Study start
2001
Primary completion
2003
Study completion
2003
First posted
Mar 8, 2012
Registry last updated
Jul 21, 2026

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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