Implementation of an App-based Walking Aid Skills Training Program

NCT05347875 | Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: REB21-1165
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 52
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

Walking aids (WA), such as crutches, canes, and walkers allow individuals to move independently after lower body impairment. Improper WA use may lead to upper body discomfort, pain, or injury. Improper WA use has been associated with increased risk of falls, which may result in traumatic brain injury or even death. WA-related accidents and injuries may not only affect an individual patient's quality of life; they may also increase healthcare system resource use and caregiver burden. WA-related injuries may be preventable if WA are properly fit and sufficient training is provided to the WA user. Smartphone applications (apps) are widely used technologies that have been used to improve health outcomes in populations of healthy and chronically ill individuals. We have developed an app that can be used to teach WA users how to properly fit and use their devices. This app is called Improving Canadians' Walking Aid skills, Learning, and Knowledge (ICanWALK©). The development of the Walking Aids Skills Test© (WAST©) allows for the objective measurement of how well an individual uses their walking aid. It is important to develop such a measurement in order to see whether interventions such as mobile applications change a walking aid user's ability to walk with their device. This 12-item objective evaluation measures the ability of an individual to use their walking aid in different settings, while picking up an object off the ground, navigating stairs, or encountering terrains such as gravel or grass. Three hypotheses will be explored through this clinical trial. Hypothesis 1: Patients who use the ICanWALK© app will have improved balance confidence compared to the control group. Hypothesis 2: Patients who use the ICanWALK© app will have improved balance, improved mobility, less pain, and fewer falls compared to the control group. Hypothesis 3: The WAST© will have an inter-rater reliability of 70% (k=0.85).

Conditions

Lower Limb; Sprain (Strain); Lower Limb Fracture; Stroke; Multiple Sclerosis

Keywords

Gait aid; Walking aid; Cane; Crutch; Walker

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC)

  16-item self-report measure that asks individuals to rate their balance confidence in performing a range of activities from 0% to 100%.

  baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• 2-minute walk test

  baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks

• Berg Balance Scale

  baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks

• Timed Up and Go

  baseline, 2 weeks, 4 weeks

• Walking Aid Skills Test©

  baseline, 2 weeks and 4 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Control Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Breathing Skills App

Other: Breathing skills app

Experimental Group

EXPERIMENTAL

ICanWALK© App

Other: Walking aid skills app

Interventions

Walking aid skills app OTHER

The interventional app teaches users how to fit, walk with, and navigate stairs and chairs with a walking aid. It contains instructional videos with key "components" of these skills highlighted. The user can use their phone's video to record themselves performing the taught skills to enable them to review their usage of the walking aids.

Also known as: ICanWALK

Experimental Group

Breathing skills app OTHER

This app has the same interface as the ICanWALK app. Instead, it teaches deep breathing for stress relief and breathing to improve lung function.

Control Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 99 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• patient at a study site currently using walking aids \>75% of their ambulatory time
• age 18-99

You may not qualify if:

• currently using a wheelchair \>25% of their ambulatory time
• cannot comfortably communicate in English or French
• history of significant cognitive or visual impairment that would affect their ability to use the app interventions
• unable to give voluntary informed consent

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Calgary: lead
• Alberta Health services: collaborator
• Laval University: collaborator
• Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Foothills Medical Centre

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

RECRUITING

CIRRIS

Québec, Quebec, Canada

COMPLETED

Related Publications (2)

• Si HB, Zeng Y, Zhong J, Zhou ZK, Lu YR, Cheng JQ, Ning N, Shen B. The effect of primary total knee arthroplasty on the incidence of falls and balance-related functions in patients with osteoarthritis. Sci Rep. 2017 Nov 29;7(1):16583. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-16867-4.

  PMID: 29185496 BACKGROUND

• Nindorera F, Manocha RHK, Miller WC, Routhier F, Best KL. Exploring the Influence of a Novel App for Training and Evaluating Walking Aid Skills in Walking Aid Users: Protocol for a Pragmatic Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2025 Dec 24;14:e71060. doi: 10.2196/71060.

  PMID: 41442703 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Sprains and Strains; Stroke; Multiple Sclerosis

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Wounds and Injuries; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Demyelinating Autoimmune Diseases, CNS; Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System; Demyelinating Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Immune System Diseases

Study Officials

• Ranita Manocha, MD, MSc

  University of Calgary

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Ranita Manocha, MD, MSc

CONTACT

403-944-4224; ranita.manocha@ucalgary.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2022
• First Posted: April 26, 2022
• Study Start: June 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Last Updated: March 9, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (2)