An interventional study of Balance boards in Children, Adult, sponsored by Hasselt University. Completed at 1 site in Belgium. Open to participants aged 6 Years to 80 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-08-03.
Sponsored by Hasselt University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
Falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injuries in children and elderly. To understand the causes of falling in these populations, fundamental knowledge of how ageing affects balance control is of utmost importance.
In general, two biomechanical mechanisms allow people to control balance; 1.moving the center of pressure within the base of support using ankle muscle activation; 2.counter-rotating segments around the center of mass. To understand how balance is controlled differently across the lifespan, 4 age groups (each N=20) will be compared to each other; i.e. prepubertal children (6-9y), postpubertal children (15-17y), young adults (18-24y), healthy non-falling older adults (65-80y). .
A force plate platform combined with 3D movement registration will be used to determine the biomechanical balance control strategy across the lifespan during unperturbed and perturbed standing. The innovative but focused scope of this study could provide a breakthrough in our biomechanical understanding of balance control and, in particular, the changes in limitations of balance control in childhood and an ageing (fall-prone) population. The gained fundamental knowledge could lead to unprecedented insights in the causes of falling across the lifespan and in possible targets for intervention.
Hasselt University is the lead sponsor of 195 studies on the registry; 30 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
6-9 years old
Device: Balance boards
15-17 years old
Device: Balance boards
18 - 24 years old
Device: Balance boards
65-80 years old
Device: Balance boards
The unstable surface will be created with a balance board consisting of a wooden board mounted on a section of a cylinder, creating an unstable support in the sagittal plane or in the frontal plane. The participants will stand on three balance boards, varying the height of the surface of the board above the point of contact (15, 17 and 19 cm respectively). The radius of the cylinder will kept constant at 24 cm. The standing surface will be 48cm x 48 cm
Balance Control; centre of mass acceleration based on 3D movement registration and ground reaction forces
Centre of mass acceleration (in kg.m2/s2) (calculations based on; van Dieen JH, van Leeuwen M, Faber GS. Learning to balance on one leg: motor strategy and sensory weighting. J Neurophysiol. 2015;114(5):2967-82.)
Time frame: day 1
Contribution of the ankle strategy to centre of mass acceleration based on 3D movement registration and ground reaction forces
The contribution of the ankle strategy (difference between the centre of pressure and the centre of mass (in kg.m2/s2)) to centre of mass acceleration in the sagittal and frontal plane will be calculated based on total body kinematics (SIMI motion - 3D movement registration) and kinetics (AMTI force plate) (calculations based on; van Dieen JH, van Leeuwen M, Faber GS. Learning to balance on one leg: motor strategy and sensory weighting. J Neurophysiol. 2015;114(5):2967-82.)
Time frame: day 1
Contribution of the counter-rotation mechanism to centre of mass acceleration based on 3D movement registration and ground reaction forces
The contribution of the counter-rotation mechanism (change in angular momentum (in kg.m2/s2)) to centre of mass acceleration in the sagittal and frontal plane will be calculated based on total body kinematics (SIMI motion - 3D movement registration) and kinetics (AMTI force plate) (calculations based on; van Dieen JH, van Leeuwen M, Faber GS. Learning to balance on one leg: motor strategy and sensory weighting. J Neurophysiol. 2015;114(5):2967-82.))
Time frame: day 1
This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Hasselt University