Optimal intensity of reactive balance training for healthy older adults
Description: Falls in daily life are a serious risk for older adults. We developed a new type of balance training, called reactive balance training (RBT). With RBT, people lose balance many times so that they can practice fast balance reactions, like stepping reactions. We recently reviewed the results of RBT clinical trials. We found that RBT can improve control of balance reactions and prevent falls in older people and people with neurologic conditions. Participants in some studies improved their balance reactions a lot after RBT, whereas others did not improve at all. The studies we reviewed used different types and amounts of training. Differences in training program features might explain differences in the study results. Training intensity is the difficulty or challenge of the training program. For other types of exercise (like 'cardio' or strength training) if you increase the intensity of exercise you can get the same benefits in less time than lower intensity exercise. Physiotherapists report that they have limited time in rehabilitation to do everything they need to do with their patients, so it would be valuable to know if high-intensity RBT improves balance reactions quickly. The main goal of this study is to see if more intense RBT improves balance reactions faster than less intense RBT. We will compare how quickly people improve balance reactions between high- and moderate-intensity RBT, and between RBT and a control program that does not include RBT. We will also test if the improvements in balance reactions last after the training program is over. Our secondary goals are to understand exactly how balance reactions improve with training, and to determine if people who complete RBT improve their general balance skills, and falls efficacy more than people who do not complete RBT. This will be the first study to compare different RBT intensities in older adults.
Amount: CA$516,400
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: Project Grant
Start date: 2024-10-01
End date: 2027-09-30
Investigator: Avril Mansfield
Institution: Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-UHN
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Funded outputs count: 1
Funder award ID: 195759_1
OpenAlex ID: G405854167