Hip Muscle Power, Lateral Balance Function, and Falls in Aging

NCT03731572 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: HP-00082488
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 97
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Falls and their consequences are among the major problems in the medical care of older individuals. The long-term goal of this research is to develop a mechanistically based therapeutic intervention to enhance muscle power, weight-shifting capability, and lateral balance function through protective stepping to prevent falls. When human balance is challenged, protective stepping is a vital strategy for preventing a fall during activities of daily life. Many older people at risk for falls have particular difficulties with successfully stepping sideways as a protective response to loss of balance in the lateral direction. Age-related declines in lateral balance function result from neuromuscular and biomechanical limitations in hip abductor-adductor muscle power generation. This study will test whether these impairments can be improved with high-velocity hip muscle resistance power training that will be more effective than conventional resistance strength training.

Conditions

Accidental Falls

Keywords

Falls; Balance; Protective Stepping; Lateral Balance; Elderly; Power training

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Incidence of single lateral steps

  Change in number of single steps between pre and post tests

  At 3 months

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Hip muscle power

  At 3 months

• Number of Falls

  12 months

Study Arms (2)

Power Training

EXPERIMENTAL

Hip abductor-adductor resistance exercises at 75% maximum strength and maximum execution speed, 3, 1-hour training sessions per week for 12 weeks.

Other: Power Training

Strength Training

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Hip muscle abductor-adductor resistance exercises at maximum strength at reduced execution speed (2s concentric/3s eccentric), 3, 1-hour training sessions per week for 12 weeks.

Other: Strength Training

Interventions

Power Training OTHER

Hip abductor-adductor resistance exercises at maximum execution speed

Power Training

Strength Training OTHER

Hip abductor-adductor resistance exercises at reduced execution speed

Strength Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• years of age or older
• Functionally independent
• Living in the community
• Generally healthy

You may not qualify if:

• Cognitive impairment (Mini Mental Score Exam less than 24)
• Sedative use
• Non-ambulatory
• Any clinically significant musculoskeletal impairment
• Any clinically significant neurological impairment
• Any clinically significant cardiopulmonary impairment
• Any clinically significant metabolic impairment
• Any general medical problem that will interfere with testing or training
• Diabetes, renal, or liver disease by identified by routine chemistry

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Maryland, Baltimore: lead
• VA Maryland Health Care System: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

VA Maryland Health Care System

Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Resistance Training

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Exercise Therapy; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Physical Conditioning, Human; Exercise; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Vicki L Gray, PhD

  University of Maryland, Baltimore

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: All testing for Aims 1a and 1b will be conducted by individuals who are masked to subject intervention group assignment at baseline-testing, post-intervention testing, and retention-testing
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: The investigators will compare changes in protective stepping, hip abduction and adduction muscle power and neuromuscular activation, balance and mobility function, and number of prospective falls between power and strength training groups.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 1, 2018
• First Posted: November 6, 2018
• Study Start: September 16, 2019
• Primary Completion: January 10, 2026
• Study Completion: January 10, 2026
• Last Updated: January 26, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)