Balanseat

The fall incidence in the elderly increases with increasing age and can lead to harmful consequences and even premature death. Reduced motor control while walking, such as reduced trunk and pelvic rotation is a common gait impairment among the elderly and is considered a risk-factor for falls. Exercise regimens that target pelvis and trunk rotation are effective in reducing falls among seniors. However, adherence to exercise therapy is often insufficient, because elderly people often find the exercises too difficult, they feel insecure or the usefulness of doing exercises is not recognized. Moreover, elderly people with mobility problems may find it difficult to visit a therapist and also depend on when the therapist is available. Exercise in a relaxed, seated position such as with Balanseat may enhance adherence, especially among individuals with balance disorders. In settings with limited resources, the use of such technology may also provide a cost-effective approach for training. The Balanseat (Mopair Technologies, Ltd., Givat Nili, Israel) is a thoraco-pelvic assisted exercise device (CE certified) in which the participant is seated comfortably and safely. The advantage of the Balanseat is that previous experiences indicated that participants found exercising with the Balanseat pleasant, secure and of no burden. The Balanseat scientific background on improving balance and gait is based on two concepts; The mechanical concept reflects exertion of a passive movement in a specific plane that may increase the ability of relevant joints to pass through a predetermined range of motion. Additionally, the motor control concept assumes that the device increases the sensory feedback from the mechano-sensory afferents to improve the dynamic control of the movement. The earlier study on the Balanseat did not study therapy adherence and used a pre-post-test design without a control group in a small sample size. Hence, we propose this controlled intervention study to evaluate the true effects of the Balanseat on therapy adherence, gait and balance compared to usual daily activity in an elderly population in the Netherlands.

We hypothesize that a six-week exercise program with the Balanseat according to the protocol contributes to therapy adherence and improves balance and gait in an elderly population.

Baseline, 3 weeks, 6 weeks

One group receives 20 minutes of exercise with the Balanseat, twice a week, over 6 weeks (total of 12 sessions), the control group their usual care.