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RecruitingNCT04095338Updated Oct 23, 2023

Innovative Models in the Rehabilitation of the Elderly With Hip Fractures Through Technological Innovation

An interventional study of traditional rehabilitation and virtual reality games intervention in Hip Fractures, Frail Elderly and Robotic Rehabilitation, sponsored by Istituto Nazionale di Ricovero e Cura per Anziani. Recruiting at 2 sites in Italy. Open to participants aged 65 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-10-23.

Sponsored by Istituto Nazionale di Ricovero e Cura per Anziani · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Mar 2024, 2 years 6 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Nov 2019; still recruiting 6 years 10 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
195
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
65 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The final goals of the present study is to propose a new approach in the hip fracture rehabilitation in elderly subjects, focused on the use of robotic device and to check the results not only at the end of the treatment but also in the long term, foreseeing 3 follow-up.

Read the detailed description

Balance and deficit in walking are some of the main characteristics of aging and are considered among the risk factors for falls. Falls are a risk factor for future falls and are associated with other adverse health outcomes such as fear of falling or fractures. In particular, hip fracture in aged patients is an important health problem. In fact, one in three patients dies within the first year after injury, while survivors have poor quality of life For this reason, the development of prevention tools and innovative strategies in the rehabilitation field should be one of the main objectives in the treatment of the diseases afflicting the elderly, such as hip fractures. Effective interventions to promote hip recovery post hip fracture are characterized by intensive and repetitive movements. One treatment approach to increase number of steps during rehabilitation sessions and to improve the balance and the endurance of the patients is the use of robotic systems.

This study is a randomized controlled trial. A total of 195 patients with hip fractures will be recruited and randomly divided into three groups, to receive a traditional rehabilitation program or a robotic rehabilitation in addition to the traditional therapy. Assessments will be performed at baseline, at the end of treatment and 6 months, 1 year and 2 years from the end of the treatment. For the study, post-hospitalization subjects will be taken into consideration, after four weeks from the hospitalization. A 20 treatment sessions will be conducted, divided into 3 training sessions per week, for 7 weeks. The control group will perform traditional therapy sessions lasting 50 minutes. The technological intervention group will carry out 30 minutes of traditional therapy and 20 minutes of treatment with a robotic system.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hip Fractures
  • Frail Elderly
  • Robotic Rehabilitation

Keywords

  • hip fracture
  • rehabilitation
  • robotics
03

In context

Fractures, Bone

2,261 studies on the registry are indexed under Fractures, Bone; 325 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 195 is above the median of 69 across 1,482 interventional studies indexed under Fractures, Bone.

Browse Fractures, Bone studies →

Lead sponsor

Istituto Nazionale di Ricovero e Cura per Anziani is the lead sponsor of 41 studies on the registry; 21 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
65 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Capacity to consent
  • Traumatic event within 60 days
  • Romberg test: negative
  • Functional Ambulation Category (FAC) score ≤ 2
  • Ranking scale score ≤ 3;

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Past history of syncopal episodes
  • Presence of non-pharmacologically compensated behavioral syndromes
  • Presence of pain that prevents walking or standing
  • Presence of neurological pathologies that compromise balance (Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, stroke, ataxias, poliomyelitis)
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Radiculopathy
  • Neuropathies lower limbs
  • Disabling disabilities that impair walking (eg congenital malformations of the foot)
  • Heterometry > 2 cm
  • Clinical dementia rating (CDR) score ≥ 3
  • Severe systemic diseases with life expectancy \< 1 year
  • Patients unable to follow up.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
195 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Active comparator
    control group

    Ten traditional physical treatment sessions divided into 2 training sessions per week for 5 weeks

    Other: traditional rehabilitation

  • Experimental
    virtual reality games arm

    Ten technological treatment sessions divided into 2 training sessions per week for 5 weeks.

    Other: virtual reality games intervention

  • Experimental
    robotic treadmill arm

    Ten traditional physical treatment sessions divided into 2 training sessions per week for 5 weeks.

    Other: robotic treadmill intervention

Interventions

  • Othertraditional rehabilitation

    Each session will include 50 minutes of traditional physical rehabilitation therapy

  • Othervirtual reality games intervention

    Each session will include 30 minutes of traditional physical rehabilitation therapy followed by 20 minutes of robotic training by Tymo system (Tyromotion, Austria), a wireless platform for the balance and the postural control training that simulates floor walking and stairs climbing. Tymo system is connected to a screen and provides virtual reality games, adaptable to the functional capacity of the patient. Through the games proposed, the physiotherapist will decide to work in a dimension (antero-posterior or medio-lateral dimension) or in two dimensions (combining the antero-posterior and medio-lateral movements).

  • Otherrobotic treadmill intervention

    Each session will include 30 minutes of traditional physical rehabilitation therapy followed by 20 minutes of robotic training by Walker view (TecnoBody, Italy), a treadmill equipped with a sensorized belt with eight load cells and a 3D camera.to detect length, speed and symmetry of the pace and load, range of the trunk, hips and knees. Patients will be asked to walk at a comfortable speed, while the physiotherapist will be able to work on different parameters such as step length, load distribution, and step height. The setting will take place taking into account the clinical conditions of each patient, customizing the intervention. The Walker View will offer visual and auditory feedback to the patient, so as to correct gait in real time.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. difference in falling risk among virtual reality games arm, robotic treadmill arm and control arm

    falling risk will be evaluated by the Tinetti performance oriented mobility assessment (POMA). POMA test has two subscales, Balance and Gait sections. Total score is obtained by adding the scores of the two subscales (balance + gait) . Total score \< 19 high fall risk, total score 19-24 medium fall risk, total score 25-28 low fall risk

    Time frame: before treatment, and 5 weeks, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months after intervention commencement

Secondary outcomes

  1. difference in gait performance among virtual reality games arm, robotic treadmill arm and control arm

    gait performance will be evaluated by the walking speed evaluated by instrumental gait analysis

    Time frame: before treatment, and 5 weeks, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months after intervention commencement

  2. difference in fear of falling among virtual reality games arm, robotic treadmill arm and control arm

    fear of falling will be evaluated by the Falls Efficacy Scale - International (FES-I). Higher scores represent greater the fear of falling (ranging from 16 to 64)

    Time frame: before treatment, and 5 weeks, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months after intervention commencement

07

Study locations

2 of 2 sites recruiting
  • INRCA Research Hospital
    Ancona, 60131, Italy
    Recruiting
  • INRCA Research Hospital
    Fermo, Italy
    • Valentina Di Donna · Contact · v.didonna@inrca.it
    • Pietro Scendoni · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Fairhall NJ, Dyer SM, Mak JC, Diong J, Kwok WS, Sherrington C. Interventions for improving mobility after hip fracture surgery in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Sep 7;9(9):CD001704. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001704.pub5. PubMed 36070134 ↗
  • Maranesi E, Riccardi GR, Lattanzio F, Di Rosa M, Luzi R, Casoni E, Rinaldi N, Baldoni R, Di Donna V, Bevilacqua R. Randomised controlled trial assessing the effect of a technology-assisted gait and balance training on mobility in older people after hip fracture: study protocol. BMJ Open. 2020 Jun 15;10(6):e035508. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-035508. PubMed 32546491 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 23, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04095338
Lead sponsor
Istituto Nazionale di Ricovero e Cura per Anziani
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Sep 19, 2019
Start date
Nov 26, 2019
Primary completion
Mar 30, 2024 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 30, 2024 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 23, 2023

Study contacts

Roberta Bevilacqua
Contact
r.bevilacqua@inrca.it
00390718004767
Giovanni Riccardi
principal investigator · IRCCS-INRCA

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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