An interventional study of Virtual reality exercise and Vestibular rehabilitation exercise in Hearing Loss, Gait, Unsteady and Balance; Distorted, sponsored by Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Status unknown. Open to participants aged 70 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-02-25.
Sponsored by Western Norway University of Applied Sciences · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
Hearing impairment is common in older adults, and recent research points to associations between hearing impairment and balance/mobility. The association may be due to more attentional resources being used to compensate for the sensory loss, with less resources available for maintaining balance. The aim of this projects is therefore to investigate whether an exercise program with focus on motor-cognitive tasks is feasible for older adults with hearing impairment. The study is meant as a proof-of-concept study, where trialling will be evaluated, and results will be used to inform the design of a larger and adequately powered study.
Study design:
This is an experimental (exercise) study with follow-ups three and twelve months after exercise completion.
Participants:
Participants will be recruited from two instances:
Intervention arms:
The exercises will be done in a movement lab at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. Participants will be randomised to either of the three intervention arms using a computerized procedure. Neither participants, testers or deliverers of the intervention will be blinded. Testers and intervention deliverers will be physiotherapists, students enrolled in a master program in clinical physiotherapy and bachelor students in physiotherapy.
1,092 studies on the registry are indexed under Hearing Loss; 235 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is above the median of 40 across 764 interventional studies indexed under Hearing Loss.
Browse Hearing Loss studies →Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is the lead sponsor of 15 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
20 participants will be randomised to this arm
Other: Virtual reality exercise
20 participants will be randomised to this arm
Other: Vestibular rehabilitation exercise
20 participants will be randomised to this arm
Other: Control
Participants will do exercises in a virtual environment, solving tasks that require cognitive efforts and motor/balance efforts. The virtual environment/tasks will be delivered through a head-mounted display ("goggles"). Difficulty will progress from standing/sitting, to walking on a treadmill. The environments that will be used will be both over-the-counter environments, as well as in-house designed environments.
Vestibular rehabilitation exercises focus on head and eyes movements, as well as whole-body movements. The aim is to facilitate the use of other sensory organs than the vestibular organs, which will also be relevant to persons who are not receiving sufficient sensory information from the auditory system. The exercises will progress as tolerated, under careful supervision of trained therapists.
Participants will not be randomised to either of the exercise interventions, but will be adviced to stay active
Short physical performance battery
Test of balance and mobility, with three tasks (walking, standing balance, sit-to-stand), scores from 0-12.
Time frame: Measured as change from baseline/before intervention, to after intervention (six weeks after baseline), to three months after intervention and to 12 months after intervention
Standing balance - posturography
Body sway measured on a balance platform, with eyes open/closed and on a firm/compliant surface
Time frame: Measured as change from baseline/before intervention, to after intervention (six weeks after baseline), to three months after intervention and to 12 months after intervention
Walking balance
Participants will walk across an electronic walkway that registers steps, for analysis of gait steadiness
Time frame: Measured as change from baseline/before intervention, to after intervention (six weeks after baseline), to three months after intervention and to 12 months after intervention
The World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS)
Questionnaire that registers disability across several domains. Possible score range is 0-144, where lower values indicate less disability
Time frame: Measured as change from baseline/before intervention, to after intervention (six weeks after baseline), to three months after intervention and to 12 months after intervention
Activity monitoring
Participants will wear sensors over 4 days, registering activity in their own environments
Time frame: Measured as change from baseline/before intervention to after intervention (6 weeks after baseline)
Dizziness Handicap Inventory
25 item-questionnaire that registers limitations due to dizziness. Possible scores range from 0-100, and higher scores indicate more dizziness-related handicap.
Time frame: Measured at baseline/before intervention and after intervention (6 weeks after baseline)
No study locations are listed for this record.
This study is status unknown, as verified in Feb 2020. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Western Norway University of Applied Sciences