Fall Prevention in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Effects of Perturbation-Based Treadmill Training on Balance Performance, Daily Life Gait, and Falls in Older Adults: REACT Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of perturbation-based treadmill training on gait quality in daily life, a predictor of fall risk that was used as the primary outcome. An additional aim was to evaluate the effects on secondary outcomes, including balance, gait performance, self-efficacy, daily life physical activity, and falls.

METHODS

Seventy community-dwelling older adults (mean age = 74.73 [SD = 5.69] years; 46 women) at risk of falling were randomized and received 4 weeks of dual-task treadmill training, either with or without treadmill perturbations. Balance, gait performance, self-efficacy, and daily life trunk accelerometry at baseline, after intervention, and at a 6-month follow-up were assessed and compared within group over time and between groups for each time point, and their change rates between groups over time were also assessed.

RESULTS

Both groups improved in their balance, gait performance, and self-efficacy; the experimental group showed a significantly larger decrease in concern of falling and an increase in physical performance than the controls. These training effects did not translate into significant improvements in daily life gait quality or physical activity. However, the number of daily life falls and the percentage of fallers decreased significantly more in the experimental group.

CONCLUSION

A 4-week perturbation-based dual-task treadmill training program can improve self-efficacy, balance, and gait performance in a controlled setting and reduce daily life falls, although not through changes in quantity or quality of daily life gait.

IMPACT

Perturbation-based treadmill training is a safe and efficient way to train older adults' balance recovery and gait performance, increase self-efficacy, and prevent falls.

Physical Functioning in Patients with a Recent Fracture: The "Can Do, Do Do" Framework Applied to Explore Physical Capacity, Physical Activity and Fall Risk Factors

Physical capacity (PC) and physical activity (PA) are associated physical performance measures, and combined, PC and PA are used to categorize physical performance in the "can do, do do" framework. We aimed to explore physical performance of patients attending the fracture liaison service (FLS). In this cross-sectional study, PC was measured by 6-min-walking-test (can't do/can do) and PA by accelerometer (don't do/do do). Following quadrants were defined based on predefined cut-off scores for poor performance: (1) "can't do, don't do"; (2) "can do, don't do"; (3) "can't do, do do"; (4) "can do, do do". Odds ratios (OR) were calculated and fall and fracture risk factors were assessed between quadrants. Physical performance of 400 fracture patients was assessed (mean age 64; female 70.8%). Patients performed as follows: 8.3% "can't do, don't do"; 3.0% "can do, don't do"; 19.3% "can't do, do do"; 69.5% "can do, do do". For the "can't do" group the OR for low PA was 9.76 (95% CI: 4.82-19.80). Both the "can't do, don't do" and "can't do, do do" group differed significantly compared to the "can do, do do" group on several fall and fracture risk factors and had lower physical performance. The "can do, do do" framework is able to identify fracture patients with an impaired physical performance. Of all FLS patients 20% "can't do, but "do do" while having a high prevalence of fall risk factors compared to persons that "can do, do do", which may indicate this group is prone to fall.

Comparing the Fracture Profile of Osteosarcopenic Older Adults with Osteopenia/Osteoporosis Alone

PURPOSE

To determine whether osteosarcopenia is associated with a greater likelihood of recurrent fractures, as well as type of fracture, than osteopenia/osteoporosis or sarcopenia alone.

METHODS

Anthropometry (height/weight; scales and stadiometer), body composition (bone mineral density [BMD] and appendicular lean mass; dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), grip strength (hydraulic dynamometer), and gait speed (4 m) were measured in an outpatient clinic. WHO definition for osteopenia/osteoporosis (BMD T-score below -1 SDs) while sarcopenia was defined by SDOC or EWGSOP2. Number and location of fractures within the past 5 years were self-reported and verified by medical records (unverified fractures excluded). Univariable and multivariable regressions were used to examine the association between the exposure and outcome while adjusting for confounders.

RESULTS

481 community-dwelling older adults (median age: 78, IQR: 72, 83; 75.9% women) were included. Prevalence of osteosarcopenia depended on the definition (SDOC: 179 (37.2%); EWGSOP2: 123 (25.6%)). In multivariable analysis adjusting for age, sex, alcohol, smoking, BMI, lowest BMD T-score, physical activity, and comorbidities, the likelihood of recurrent fractures (≥ 2 vs 0-1) was significantly higher in those with osteosarcopenia versus osteopenia/osteoporosis irrespective of the definition (SDOC: odds ratio [OR]: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.03, 2.59, p = 0.037; EWGSOP2: OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.12, 3.01, p = 0.016]. Associations with sarcopenia alone (SDOC: 10; EWGSOP2: 7) were not possible due to the extremely low prevalence of this condition in those with normal BMD.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest osteosarcopenia is associated with a greater likelihood of recurrent fractures versus osteopenia/osteoporosis alone. Further studies are needed to evaluate the relationship with sarcopenia alone.

Perturbation-based balance training: Principles, mechanisms and implementation in clinical practice

Since the mid-2000s, perturbation-based balance training has been gaining interest as an efficient and effective way to prevent falls in older adults. It has been suggested that this task-specific training approach may present a paradigm shift in fall prevention. In this review, we discuss key concepts and common issues and questions regarding perturbation-based balance training. In doing so, we aim to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the current evidence on the mechanisms, feasibility and efficacy of perturbation-based balance training for researchers and practitioners. We address this in two sections: "Principles and Mechanisms" and "Implementation in Practice." In the first section, definitions, task-specificity, adaptation and retention mechanisms and the dose-response relationship are discussed. In the second section, issues related to safety, anxiety, evidence in clinical populations (e.g., Parkinson's disease, stroke), technology and training devices are discussed. Perturbation-based balance training is a promising approach to fall prevention. However, several fundamental and applied aspects of the approach need to be further investigated before it can be widely implemented in clinical practice.

Adaptability to Balance Perturbations During Walking as a Potential Marker of Falls History in Older Adults

Given that falls most commonly occur during walking due to unexpected balance perturbations like trips and slips, walking-based balance assessment including walking stability and adaptability to such perturbations could be beneficial for fall risk assessment in older adults. This cross-sectional study reanalyzed data from two larger studies conducted with the same walking protocol. Participants completed unperturbed walking trials at speeds of 0.4 m/s up to 1.8 m/s in 0.2 m/s steps. Ten unannounced treadmill belt acceleration perturbations were then applied while participants walked at equivalent stability, assessed using the margins of stability. Retrospective (12 months) falls incidence was collected to divide participants into people with and without a history of falls. Twenty older adults (mean age 70.2 ± 2.9 years) were included in this analysis; eight people with one or more recent falls and 12 people without, closely matched by sex, age and height. No significant differences were found in unperturbed walking parameters or their variability. Overall perturbation-recovery step behavior differed slightly (not statistically significant) between the groups after the first perturbation and differences became more pronounced and significant after repetition of perturbations. The No-Falls group significantly reduced the number of recovery steps needed across the trials, whereas the Falls group did not show these improvements. People with a previous fall tended to have slightly delayed and more variable recovery responses after perturbation compared to non-fallers. Non-fallers demonstrate more signs of adaptability to repeated perturbations. Adaptability may give a broader indication of the ability of the locomotor system to respond and improve responses to sudden walking perturbations than unperturbed walking variability or recovery to a single novel perturbation. Adaptability may thus be a more useful marker of falls history in older adults and should be considered in further research.