Aquatic Exercise and Reactive Balance

Sponsor

Eadric Bressel (Other)

Overall Status

Not yet recruiting

CT.gov ID

NCT05107817

Collaborator

(none)

Enrollment

Arms

Anticipated Duration (Months)

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

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.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Aging Aged Accidental Falls Postural Balance Exercise Exercise Therapy	Other: Exercise intervention	N/A

Detailed Description

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:

REACH (grasping a safety handle using their right hand while maintaining both feet fixed),
STEP (stepping forward using any leg), and 3) RANDOM (random variations of STEP and REACH).

Study Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Anticipated Enrollment :

44 participants

Allocation:

Randomized

Intervention Model:

Parallel Assignment

Masking:

Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)

Primary Purpose:

Prevention

Official Title:

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

Anticipated Study Start Date :

Jan 1, 2023

Anticipated Primary Completion Date :

Sep 1, 2024

Anticipated Study Completion Date :

Sep 1, 2024

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: Aquatic Exercise group Participants will engage in a single session of training consisting of 120 repetitions of a ball throwing and catching task in water.	Other: Exercise intervention A ball catching and throwing exercise.
Active Comparator: Land Exercise group Participants will engage in a single session of training consisting of 120 repetitions of a ball throwing and catching task on dry land.	Other: Exercise intervention A ball catching and throwing exercise.

Arm

Intervention/Treatment

Experimental: Aquatic Exercise group

Participants will engage in a single session of training consisting of 120 repetitions of a ball throwing and catching task in water.

Other: Exercise intervention

A ball catching and throwing exercise.

Active Comparator: Land Exercise group

Participants will engage in a single session of training consisting of 120 repetitions of a ball throwing and catching task on dry land.

Other: Exercise intervention

A ball catching and throwing exercise.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

Reaction time measures (REACH) [Immediately before the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.]
Hand contact time during REACH following the cable release will be calculated.
Reaction time measures (STEP1) [Immediately before the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.]
Foot-off time during STEP following the cable release will be calculated.
Reaction time measures (STEP2) [Immediately before the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.]
Foot contact time during STEP following the cable release will be calculated.
Rapid response accuracy [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.
Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test [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).
Reaction time measures (REACH) [Immediately after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.]
Hand contact time during REACH following the cable release will be calculated.
Reaction time measures (STEP1) [Immediately after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.]
Foot-off time during STEP following the cable release will be calculated.
Reaction time measures (STEP2) [Immediately after the intervention. Duration of each assessment will be 15 minutes.]
Foot contact time during STEP following the cable release will be calculated.
Rapid response accuracy [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.
Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test [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).
Reaction time measures (REACH) [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.
Reaction time measures (STEP1) [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.
Reaction time measures (STEP2) [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.
Rapid response accuracy [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.
Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test [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).

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

65 Years and Older

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

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