RecruitingACTRN12618000457246

Can motor imagery improve strength during periods of restricted weight bearing in older adults?

Does the addition of motor imagery to standard physiotherapy care improve strength in older adults with restricted weight bearing within a rehabilitation setting?

Sponsor

Australian Catholic University

Enrollment

108 participants

Start Date

May 2, 2019

Study Type

Interventional

Conditions

Immobility in old age Surgery Fracture Ankle replacement

Summary

The negative effects of immobility such as reduced muscle strength and cardiac function are evident after a few days in care, particularly for older adults. These effects are more profound in those older adults with restricted weight bearing status as they are more confined to bed. There is a need to identify interventions that can be completed in bed while reducing the effects of immobilization. One such intervention is motor imagery, where participants imagine performing certain tasks without overt muscle activity. Motor imagery has been used successfully in stroke patients but has not been used in older adults during periods of immobilization. The aim of this study is to identify whether motor imagery combined with standard physiotherapy care is superior at improving strength and mobility compared to standard physiotherapy care alone. Participants will be subacute residents undergoing rehabilitation, aged 65 years or more that have been prescribed restricted weight bearing for at least one week. Participants will be allocated to standard physiotherapy (Control) or standard physiotherapy plus motor imagery (experimental). It is expected that participants in the experimental group will have more rapid gains in strength and mobility than those in the control group.

Eligibility

Sex: Both males and femalesMin Age: 60 Yearss

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

This study is testing whether mental rehearsal — imagining yourself performing exercises without actually moving — can help older adults maintain muscle strength when they are unable to put weight on a leg due to injury or surgery. This technique, called motor imagery, has been shown to help stroke patients and athletes, but has not been studied in older adults who are temporarily immobilised in rehabilitation facilities. Participants aged 60 and over who have been prescribed a period of non-weight bearing on a limb (at least one week) will be randomly assigned to either standard physiotherapy alone or standard physiotherapy combined with daily motor imagery exercises. Muscle strength and mobility will be measured at the start and end of the study period. You may be eligible if you are 60 or older, are in a rehabilitation facility with weight-bearing restrictions due to injury or surgery, have no significant neurological conditions, and have a MMSE cognitive score of 24 or above (indicating good cognitive function). People with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, prior stroke, or untreated heart disease are not eligible.

This summary was AI-generated to explain the trial in plain language. It is not medical advice. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

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Interventions

Motor imagery (mental practice) plus standard physiotherapy care. Participants in the motor imagery group will undertake 15 minutes of motor imagery practice per day for four weeks. The motor imagery

Motor imagery (mental practice) plus standard physiotherapy care. Participants in the motor imagery group will undertake 15 minutes of motor imagery practice per day for four weeks. The motor imagery training will be guided by pre-recorded audio files uploaded onto a portable musci player. The audio files will be designed specifically for this study. The motor imagery tasks will relate to muscle contractions and everyday weight bearing movements. The training will be unsupervised, except for the first session when it will be supervised by a physiotherapist. Adherence will monitored by a patient diary and also by the number of times a track has been played on the audio device. Standard physiotherapy care will follow proceures and guidelines of the facility. Standard physiotherapy care will typically involve strength and range of motion exercises along with targeted mobility and transfer training.