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Vibratory Stimulation to Improve Balance Recovery
Subsensory Stochastic Vibratory Stimulation to Assess and Improve Aging Related Proprioceptive Deficits Associated With Balance Recovery
Who can join
Ages 65 and older · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * age 65 years or older * the ability to understand study instructions. Exclusion Criteria: * disorders associated with severe motor and balance deficits, including stroke, Parkinson's disease, severe arthritis, lower-extremity amputation, spinal cord pathologies (e.g., spinal stenosis), and diabetes * history of severe vestibular disorder such as bilateral vestibular hypofunction or poorly-compensated unilateral vestibular hypofunction, or Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) \> 40 * central nervous disease * cognitive impairment (MoCA score\<20) * vision problems including cataract, presbyopia, and similar problems that can influence balance * sedating medication or alcohol consumption within 24 hours.
About the study
Falls are the primary cause of traumatic injury in older adults, and tripping is the leading cause of falls. A robust method for improving aging-related proprioceptive deficits is lacking, while strong evidence shows that proprioception deficits are highly associated with poor balance recovery from tripping. Previous research suggested that stochastic vibratory stimulation (SVS) can influence proprioception (i.e., muscle spindle function) among healthy controls; however, it is not clear how older adults with deficits in muscle spindle function would react to SVS. In previous work the investigators showed promising findings of standing balance and timed-up-and-go (TUG) improvements using SVS among high fall risk older adults with history of fall 15-18. They will implement SVS in the current project to improve aging-related proprioceptive deficits. The hypothesis is that SVS improves muscle spindle function and balance recovery from tripping in older adults with proprioceptive deficits.
What is being tested
- Stochastic Vibratory Stimulation (SVS) (device)
Sponsor: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey · Participants: 60 · Started: May 1, 2024
Contact the study team
- Nima Toosizadeh, PhD · Phone: 5204445265
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT05702801
Locations in the U.S.
| New Jersey | Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, Newark |
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.