Abstract

For the rapidly growing aging demographic worldwide, robotic training methods could be impactful towards improving balance critical for everyday life. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that non-bodyweight supportive (nBWS) overground robotic balance training would lead to improvements in balance performance and balance confidence in older adults. Sixteen healthy older participants (69.7 ± 6.7 years old) were trained while donning a harness from a distinctive NaviGAITor robotic system. A control group of 11 healthy participants (68.7 ± 5.0 years old) underwent the same training but without the robotic system. Training included 6 weeks of standing and walking tasks while modifying: (1) sensory information (i.e., with and without vision (eyes-open/closed), with more and fewer support surface cues (hard or foam surfaces)) and (2) base-of-support (wide, tandem and single-leg standing exercises). Prior to and post-training, balance ability and balance confidence were assessed via the balance error scoring system (BESS) and the Activities specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, respectively. Encouragingly, results showed that balance ability improved (i.e., BESS errors significantly decreased), particularly in the nBWS group, across nearly all test conditions. This result serves as an indication that robotic training has an impact on improving balance for healthy aging individuals.

Highlights

  • With increases in average life expectancy, and drastic projected increases in the number of older individuals, the importance of improving and maintaining balance has significant societal relevance for the aging population [1]

  • NaviGAITor used here led to in to The improvements in training balance,both improvements much more pronounced improvements in balance, improvements were much more pronounced in aging the the non-bodyweight support (nBWS) group that underwent the training with the NaviGAITor system

  • The aging particparticipants in the nBWS group showed improvements in balance post training, as observed ipants in the nBWS group showed in balance post training, as group observed by by the decreases in balance error scoring system (BESS)

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Summary

Introduction

With increases in average life expectancy, and drastic projected increases in the number of older individuals, the importance of improving and maintaining balance has significant societal relevance for the aging population [1]. To date, robotic training has focused gations need to address this issue broadly. To date, robotic training has focused investigations need to address issue broadly. To date, robotic training gations need to address thisthis issue broadly. (static)balance balanceisiscritical criticalfor foreveryday everyday life and daily activities, but it is is understudied in regard to robotic training’s effects on it. Previous robotics have interfaced with control loop that interacts with the human body. Previous robotics have interfaced with the human body via: the support surface

Overview
Materials and Methods
Participants
Training Protocol
Control Group
Training
Assessment Protocol
Measures of Balance Performance
Measures of Balance Confidence
Analysis
Measures of Balance Performance Results
Measures of Balance Confidence—ABC Assessment Results
Discussion
Full Text
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