Use the Back button in your browser to see the other results of your search or to select another record.

Detailed Search Results

Perturbation-based balance training of older adults and effects on physiological, cognitive and sociopsychological factors: a secondary analysis from a randomised controlled trial with 12-month follow-up [with consumer summary]
Norgaard JE, Andersen S, Ryg J, Andreasen J, Oliveira ADSC, Stevenson AJT, Danielsen MBB, Jorgensen MG
BMJ Open 2024 Aug;14(8):e080550
clinical trial
6/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: Yes; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: Yes; Intention-to-treat analysis: Yes; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: Yes. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed*

BACKGROUND: Perturbation-based balance training (PBT) has shown promising, although diverging, fall-preventive effects; however, the effects on important physical, cognitive and sociopsychological factors are currently unknown. The study aimed to evaluate these effects on PBT at three different time points (post-training, 6-months and 12-months) in community-dwelling older adults compared with regular treadmill walking. METHODS: This was a preplanned secondary analysis from a randomised, controlled trial performed in Aalborg, Denmark, between March 2021 and November 2022. Community-dwelling older adults aged >= 65 were randomly assigned to participate in four sessions (lasting 20 min each) of either PBT (intervention) or regular treadmill walking (control). All participants were assigned to four testing sessions: pretraining, post-training, 6-month follow-up and 12-month follow-up. At these sessions, physical, cognitive and sociopsychological measures were assessed. RESULTS: In total, 140 participants were randomly allocated to either the PBT or control group. Short-term (pretraining to post-training) between-group differences were seen for choice stepping reaction time (-49 ms, 95% CI -80 to -18), dual-task gait speed (0.05 m/s, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.09) favouring the PBT group. However, these improvements were not sustained at the 6-month and 12-month follow-up. No significant between-group differences were found in other physical, cognitive or sociopsychological factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that PBT, in the short term, improved choice stepping reaction time and dual-task gait speed among community-dwelling older adults. Yet, these improvements were not retained for 6- or 12-months. The healthy state of the study's population may have imposed a ceiling effect limiting the ability to show any clinically relevant effects of PBT. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04733222.
Reproduced with permission from the BMJ Publishing Group.

Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):      help