The Gait Training in Different Directions in Elderly Individuals

NCT07463924 | Completed DMC

• 2 other identifiers: E-60116787-020-2875131919B012301537
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 41
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Walking ability is important because it relates to independence in daily living activities, but this ability gradually decreases with age. Impairments in walking ability cause falls in geriatric individuals. Falls are the most common cause of injury in old age and can even result in death. Daily living activities involve walking in different directions such as walking forward, backward and sideways. In geriatric individuals, walking backward shows more impairment compared to walking forward. No study examining the effect of sideways walking training in geriatric individuals has been found in the literature.

Conditions

Elderly

Keywords

elderly; older; gait; side walking; back walking; physiotherapy and rehabilitation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Balance

  Individuals' balance levels were assessed using the 4-Square Step Test. Completion times were recorded in seconds.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Fear of falling

  Individuals' levels of fear of falling were assessed using the Modified Fall Efficacy Scale. The 14 items on the Modified Fall Efficacy Scale assess confidence when performing various daily tasks. Items on the scale are scored from 0 (not confident) to 10 (completely confident) to evaluate participants' levels of self-efficacy regarding falls. The total score is the average of the sum of all item scores. Lower scores indicate a high level of fear of falling.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Lower extremity performance

  Individuals' lower extremity performance was assessed using the Timed Up and Go Test.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

• Lower extremity performance

  Individuals' lower extremity performance was assessed using the Five Times Sit to Stand Test.

  From enrollment to the end of treatment at 8 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Forward walking group

EXPERIMENTAL

10 minutes of warm-up exercises, 15 minutes of strength and balance exercises, 18 minutes of forward walking, 5 minutes of cool-down exercises. The 18-minute forward walking exercise was performed in 3 sets of 6 minutes each, allowing for 3-minute rest breaks. The intervention was conducted 2 days a week for 8 weeks, totaling 16 sessions.

Other: Exercise

Backward walking group

EXPERIMENTAL

10 minutes of warm-up exercises, 15 minutes of strength and balance exercises, 18 minutes of backward walking, 5 minutes of cool-down exercises. The 18-minute backward walking exercise was performed in 3 sets of 6 minutes each, allowing for 3-minute rest breaks. The intervention was conducted 2 days a week for 8 weeks, totaling 16 sessions.

Other: Exercise

Sideways walking group

EXPERIMENTAL

10 minutes of warm-up exercises, 15 minutes of strength and balance exercises, 18 minutes of sideways walking, 5 minutes of cool-down exercises. The 18-minute sideways walking exercise was performed in 3 sets of 6 minutes each, allowing for 3-minute rest breaks. The intervention was conducted 2 days a week for 8 weeks, totaling 16 sessions.

Other: Exercise

Interventions

Exercise OTHER

In this intervention, in addition to the standard physiotherapy and rehabilitation program, an 18-minute forward walking exercise was performed.

Also known as: physiotherapy and rehabilitation, geriatric rehabilitation

Forward walking group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Being 65 years of age or older
• Volunteering to participate in the study
• Being able to speak and understand Turkish

You may not qualify if:

• Having any serious neurological, orthopedic, rheumatological, and cardiopulmonary diseases that could cause balance problems.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University: lead
• Pamukkale University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Pamukkale University

Denizli, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (9)

• Podsiadlo D, Richardson S. The timed "Up & Go": a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1991 Feb;39(2):142-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1991.tb01616.x.

  PMID: 1991946 BACKGROUND

• Hendricks HT, van Limbeek J, Geurts AC, Zwarts MJ. Motor recovery after stroke: a systematic review of the literature. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2002 Nov;83(11):1629-37. doi: 10.1053/apmr.2002.35473.

  PMID: 12422337 BACKGROUND

• Huang WY, Li MH, Lee CH, Tuan SH, Sun SF, Liou IH. Efficacy of lateral stair walking training in patients with chronic stroke: A pilot randomized controlled study. Gait Posture. 2021 Jul;88:10-15. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2021.04.026. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

  PMID: 33946024 BACKGROUND

• Toots A, Lundin-Olsson L, Nordstrom P, Gustafson Y, Rosendahl E. Exercise effects on backward walking speed in people with dementia: A randomized controlled trial. Gait Posture. 2021 Mar;85:65-70. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2020.12.028. Epub 2021 Jan 13.

  PMID: 33517038 BACKGROUND

• Florence CS, Bergen G, Atherly A, Burns E, Stevens J, Drake C. Medical Costs of Fatal and Nonfatal Falls in Older Adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2018 Apr;66(4):693-698. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15304. Epub 2018 Mar 7.

  PMID: 29512120 BACKGROUND

• Baker NL, Cook MN, Arrighi HM, Bullock R. Hip fracture risk and subsequent mortality among Alzheimer's disease patients in the United Kingdom, 1988-2007. Age Ageing. 2011 Jan;40(1):49-54. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afq146. Epub 2010 Nov 18.

  PMID: 21087990 BACKGROUND

• Fritz NE, Worstell AM, Kloos AD, Siles AB, White SE, Kegelmeyer DA. Backward walking measures are sensitive to age-related changes in mobility and balance. Gait Posture. 2013 Apr;37(4):593-7. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012.09.022. Epub 2012 Nov 2.

  PMID: 23122938 BACKGROUND

• Johansson H, Lundin-Olsson L, Littbrand H, Gustafson Y, Rosendahl E, Toots A. Cognitive function and walking velocity in people with dementia; a comparison of backward and forward walking. Gait Posture. 2017 Oct;58:481-486. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2017.09.009. Epub 2017 Sep 9.

  PMID: 28926815 BACKGROUND

• Studenski S, Perera S, Patel K, Rosano C, Faulkner K, Inzitari M, Brach J, Chandler J, Cawthon P, Connor EB, Nevitt M, Visser M, Kritchevsky S, Badinelli S, Harris T, Newman AB, Cauley J, Ferrucci L, Guralnik J. Gait speed and survival in older adults. JAMA. 2011 Jan 5;305(1):50-8. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.1923.

  PMID: 21205966 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Exercise; Physical Therapy Modalities; Rehabilitation

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Therapeutics; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services

Study Officials

• Nilufer Cetisli-Korkmaz, Prof.Dr.

  Pamukkale University

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Lecturer, PT.MSc.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 6, 2026
• First Posted: March 11, 2026
• Study Start: September 29, 2023
• Primary Completion: June 13, 2024
• Study Completion: June 13, 2024
• Last Updated: March 16, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)