Testing an Innovative Gait Training Program in Immersive Virtual Reality for Healthy Older Adults: Protocol for a...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Impaired gait adaptability is a primary cause of falls in older adults, often due to poor adjustments in complex environments.
• Systematic gait training programs can mitigate fall risk by improving adaptability.
• Virtual reality (VR) technology offers a promising platform for gait training due to its implementation potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of a VR-based gait training program against conventional Nordic walking (NW) for enhancing gait adaptability.
• To assess the potential of VR gait training in reducing fall risk among older adults.
• To hypothesize that VR training will yield superior improvements in gait adaptability compared to NW.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 40 healthy community-dwelling older adults (65-80 years).
• Participants allocated to either a 6-week VR gait training program or a Nordic walking program.
• Assessment of primary outcomes including gait adaptability and VR device acceptance via pretests, posttests, retention tests, and a 12-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Data collection is scheduled from September 2025 to December 2025.
• Initial results are anticipated by December 2025.
• The study will provide data on the comparative effectiveness of VR versus NW for gait training.

Conclusions:

• The study aims to highlight the relative efficacy of VR gait training compared to conventional methods for improving gait adaptability in older adults.
• Findings may support the use of VR interventions for fall prevention strategies in the elderly population.
• The research could demonstrate VR's potential to enhance motor behavior and reduce fall incidence.