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RecruitingNCT06184295Updated Dec 5, 2024

Robotic Balance Training to Improve Postural Control and Balance Post-Traumatic Brain Injury

An interventional study of TBI - Intervention Group in Traumatic Brain Injury, sponsored by Kessler Foundation. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-05.

Sponsored by Kessler Foundation · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Dec 2024, 1 year 9 months ago, but the record still lists the study as recruiting.
  • Started Jan 2024; still recruiting 2 years 9 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to assess a balance training program to see if it can be helpful to improve balance and avoid falls in people who have had traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).

The study will involve three groups of research subjects: 1) TBI-intervention group, 2) TBI- non-intervention group and 3) the participants without disability group.

The TBI intervention Group will participate in 10 robotic balance training sessions. Data will collected pre and post-training.

TBI- non-intervention group will not receive any training. They will participate in two data collection sessions which are about 5 weeks apart.

The participants without disability group will not receive any training. They will participate in one data collection session.

02

Conditions studied

  • Traumatic Brain Injury
03

In context

Brain Injuries

2,113 studies on the registry are indexed under Brain Injuries; 385 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 48 across 1,331 interventional studies indexed under Brain Injuries.

Browse Brain Injuries studies →

Lead sponsor

Kessler Foundation is the lead sponsor of 170 studies on the registry; 58 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Eligibility criteria

Participants with TBI:

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Be between the ages of 18 and 65.
  • Have been diagnosed with a TBI by a physician and be at least 6 months post injury and not more than 5 years post injury.
  • Have been medically stable for 3 months prior to the most recent TBI.
  • Not plan to make any drastic changes to medications (as determined by study staff) for at least 4 weeks.
  • Be able to stand unsupported for 5 minutes.
  • Be willing and able to give informed consent.
  • Be able and willing to comply with study procedures, verbal instructions, and follow-up requirements.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Weight above 300 lbs.
  • Have severe cardiac disease such as heart attack or moderate or severe congestive heart failure.
  • Have a pre-existing condition resulting in significant disruption in alignment or function of the lower limb during standing.
  • Have additional medical conditions that affect the bones, muscles or nerves that would interfere with the balance.
  • Have any previously diagnosed history of balance problems prior to TBI.
  • Have fluctuating blood pressure.
  • Be on any medication that may affect balance, strength, or muscle coordination (e.g. Botox).
  • Be currently enrolled in another research study that is likely to affect participation in this research study.
  • Have seizure disorder.

Participants without a disability:

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Be between the ages of 18 and 65.
  • Not plan to make any drastic changes to medications for at least 4 weeks.
  • Not have an orthopedic, cognitive or neuromuscular disease.
  • Be able to stand unsupported for 5 minutes.
  • Be willing and able to give informed consent.
  • Be able and willing to comply with study procedures, including follow-up requirements.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Weight above 300 lbs.
  • Have a history of injury to my lower limbs in the past 90 days.
  • Have severe cardiac disease such as heart attack or moderate or severe congestive heart failure.
  • Have a pre-existing condition resulting in significant disruption in alignment or function of the lower limb during standing.
  • Have any additional medical conditions that affect my bones, muscles, or nerves that would interfere with the movement or the ability to feel touch or pain.
  • Have difficulty following or responding to commands that would limit the study participation.
  • Be currently enrolled in another research study that is likely to affect participation in this research study.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    TBI - Intervention Group

    The participants will receive 10 customized robotic balance training sessions to improve balance using the Hunova robotic device. Each session will last for up to 1.5 hours. The training may include standing or sitting on the robotic balance platform and performing the following tasks: maintaining balance when the platform becomes unstable or moving in various directions, or in an inclination; these tasks may be performed as instructed with eyes open or eyes closed condition; move in different directions to reach targets with my hands; stand on one leg or heel to toe and maintain balance; perform head or torso rotation while standing or sitting. All training will be performed with an overhead harness and a spotter will be present at all times.

    Device: TBI - Intervention Group

  • No intervention
    TBI - Non Intervention Group

    Participants will receive no intervention

  • No intervention
    Participants without disability group

    Participants will receive no intervention

Interventions

  • DeviceTBI - Intervention Group

    The participants will receive 10 customized robotic balance training sessions to improve balance using the Hunova robotic device. Each session will last for up to 1.5 hours. The training may include standing or sitting on the robotic balance platform and performing the following tasks: maintaining balance when the platform becomes unstable or moving in various directions, or in an inclination; these tasks may be performed as instructed with eyes open or eyes closed condition; move in different directions to reach targets with my hands; stand on one leg or heel to toe and maintain balance; perform head or torso rotation while standing or sitting. All training will be performed with an overhead harness and a spotter will be present at all times.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Berg Balance Assessment

    A task performance test consisting of 14 items of increasing difficulty graded on a five-point ordinal scale of 0 to 4 (0 = subject is unable to perform task; 4 = subject is independent in performance of task) giving the best possible score of 56 for healthy balance.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  2. Dynamic Gait Index

    Dynamic Gait Index (DGI) is a measurement tool commonly used to assess dynamic balance, gait and risk for falls. It consists of a total of eight gait assessments which can be scored on a four-point ordinal scale, ranging from 0-3, where '0' indicates the lowest level of function and '3' the highest level of function, allowing for a total possible score of 24.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  3. Timed Up and Go

    It is a clinical test of functional gait abilities and dynamic balance. The participants will be asked to walk a distance of 3 meters from a seated position, turn around, walk back to the chair and sit back in the chair. The time taken to perform the task will be recorded using a stopwatch.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  4. 10 Meter walk test

    Participants will be asked to walk about 12 meters. The time taken to walk 10 meters will be recorded.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  5. Fall Efficacy Scale -International

    This questionnaire is a widely accepted tool for the assessment of fear of falling and has excellent reliability and validity. It is a self-reported questionnaire that provides information on the level of concern about falls for a range of daily living activities. The original questionnaire contains 16 items and is scored on a four-point scale (1 = not very concerned to 4 = very concerned). Therefore the best possible value is 16 and the worst is 64.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  6. Community Balance and Mobility Scale

    Used to detect 'high level' balance and mobility deficits based on tasks commonly encountered in community environments. Composed of 13 challenging tasks (scaled from 0 = complete inability to perform task to 5 = most successful completion of item available).

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  7. Temporal- spatial characteristics

    Participants will be asked to walk about 10 meters on a pressure mat. Pressure mat (ZenoMat, Protokinetics LLC) will be used to collect gait cycle times and step length, in order to determine inter- and intra-limb temporal and spatial characteristics.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  8. Electromyography

    surface Electromyography (EMG) wireless sensors will be used to measure the activation of tibialis anterior, soleus, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, bicep femoris, and gastrocnemius.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  9. Cortical activity

    Cortical activity will be measured using NIRSport 2 (NIRX Medical Technologies, LLC ), an Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) system. NIRSport 2 is a portable, non-invasive optical imaging technique to measure the cerebral hemodynamic response.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

  10. Balance

    Quantitative measures of static and dynamic balance will be assessed using the Hunova balance platform.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. community ambulation

    Sensors will be provided to be worn in wrist, leg and waist to collect gait cycle times and step length during community ambulation of the participants between baseline and follow-up. The participants will also wear the sensor during testing walking and balancing tasks at baseline and follow-up.

    Time frame: 5 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Kessler Foundation
    West Orange, New Jersey 07052, United States
    • Kiran Karunakaran, PhD · Contact · 973-324-3590
    • Kiran Karunakaran, PhD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Dec 5, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06184295
Lead sponsor
Kessler Foundation
Responsible party
Kiran Karunakaran (Research Scientist, Kessler Foundation) — Principal investigator
First posted
Dec 28, 2023
Start date
Jan 1, 2024
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2024 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2024 (estimated)
Last update
Dec 5, 2024

Study contacts

Kiran Karunakaran, Ph.D.
Contact
kkarunakaran@kesslerfoundation.org
973-324-3590
Kiran Karunakaran
principal investigator · Kessler Foundation

Oversight

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

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