Citation

Lee A, Bhatt T, Liu X, Wang Y, Pai YC. Gait Posture 2018; 61: 387-392.

Affiliation

Department of Physical Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States. Electronic address: clivepai08@gmail.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.gaitpost.2018.01.037

PMID

29453101

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Perturbation training is an emerging paradigm to reduce idiopathic falls (without clinical signs or symptoms) in older adults. While a higher threat dosage (intensity) in motor learning often directly relates to greater adaptation, retention, and generalization, little is known whether increasing the practice dosage (repetition) of slip-perturbation training would necessarily improve its outcomes. RESEARCH QUESTION: Can higher practice dosage of treadmill slip-perturbation training lead to greater generalization to an overground slip immediately after the training? METHODS: Forty-five community-dwelling older adults (73.5 ± 5.6 years old) participated in the present study. They were conveniently assigned to three groups with equivalent treadmill walking duration: treadmill slip-perturbation training group with 40 practice dosage, 24 practice dosage, and zero practice dosage (without slip-perturbation). Later on during overground walking, all of them were exposed to the same generalization test (a novel slip on a walkway). Their recovery outcomes (fall, or no fall; balance loss, or no balance loss) and center of mass stability were compared.

RESULTS: Higher practice dosage did not show significantly less incidence of fall, balance loss, or greater stability in comparison to lower practice dosage (p > .05). The present study showed that there was no evidence of dose-response relationship when the practice dosage was set above the 24 trials of practice dosage in treadmill slip-perturbation training. SIGNIFICANCE: Contrary to our hypothesis, increased practice dosage (40-slips) in treadmill slip-perturbation training from the commonly used threshold (24-slips) did not necessarily benefit immediate generalization from treadmill to overground walking among community-dwelling older adults.

Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Language: en

Keywords

Falls; Generalization; Older adults; Practice dosage (repetition); Stability; Treadmill slip-perturbation