Foot Core Exercise Program on Balance Control and Walking in Aged Sarcopenia
SarcopeniaMuscle Weakness3 moreIn modern society with an increasing aging population, recent literature has defined sarcopenia as a significant reduced mass and function of skeletal muscle with physical limitations due to aging. Clinically and experimentally, the foot often plays a crucial role in sensorimotor control and movement performance in standing, walking, and running. Apparently, previous literature has shown that the intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles have significantly reduced muscle morphology and muscle strength in the elderly compared to that of young healthy controls. How to effectively increase foot muscles using muscle-strengthening exercises will be a crucial issue for further research and clinical intervention in this population. The intrinsic foot muscles (IFM) are the primary local stabilizer to provide static and dynamic stability in the foot, which are part of the active and neural subsystems to constitute the foot core system. The intrinsic foot muscles (IFMs) may play a key role in supporting foot arches (e.g., the medial longitudinal arch, MLA), providing flexibility, stability, shock absorption to the foot, and partially controlling foot pronation. Due to the difficulties in teaching and learning the plantar intrinsic foot muscle (IFM) exercise, the accuracy and follow-up after learning this exercise could be questioned following this exercise program. Physiologically, the effects of integrated exercise intervention may be achieved following more than 4-week intensive exercise intervention at least. How to learn and activate this kind of exercise efficiently and effectively is a key issue for employing these exercise interventions in the elderly with and without sarcopenia. In this project, we will aim to employ the novel intrinsic foot muscle strengthening device using 3-D printing techniques and to examine the feasibility and reliability of the morphology in intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscles and foot posture before and after exercise intervention using sonographic imaging and foot posture index in the elderly with and without sarcopenia; second, we will investigate whether the immediate and persistent increase in balance control and level-walking after this therapeutic exercise with novel 3-D printing foot core exerciser.
A Community-based Program That Supports Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, Social Participation...
Mobility LimitationHealth Related Quality of Life2 morePhysical mobility and social participation are needed to maintain independence and quality of life for adults over 55 years of age. Despite the known benefits of physical activity and dietary change programs for older adults, the best ways to deliver these interventions are not well understood. The goal of the EMBOLDEN study is to promote physical and community mobility in older adults who experience difficulties taking up community programs and reside in areas of high health inequity. Building on existing best practices, the investigators will implement and evaluate an innovative co-designed community-based program to promote physical activity, healthy eating, social participation, and system navigation. The potential for spreading this program throughout Hamilton and adapted to other Canadian communities will also be explored
Exoskeleton and Spinal Cord Stimulation for SCI
Spinal Cord InjuryAmbulation Difficulty1 moreThe overall aim of this project is to assess the effect of combining transcutaneous lumbosacral stimulation (TLS) during Exoskeleton Assisted Walking (EAW) compared to EAW alone without stimulation on walking recovery.
Heat Therapy, Functional Capacity, and Vascular Health in Older Adults
Aging WellWalking2 moreTo test the hypothesis that home-based leg heat therapy improves functional capacity, vascular function, and exercise hyperemia in older adults.
Choose to Move - Next Steps: Can 'Booster Sessions' Sustain Health Benefits of an Effective, Scaled-up,...
AgingMobility Limitation3 moreOne-third of Canadians will be older adults (>65y) by 2050. Thus, healthy aging is a public health priority. Many older adult health promoting interventions have been implemented, yet few were scaled-up and sustained. Choose to Move (CTM) is an effective, adaptable, community-based health promotion program for older adults. CTM, co-created with government and community stakeholders, has been scaled-up across British Columbia (BC) using a phased approach (2015-2021). The investigators evaluated the impact of CTM on the health of seniors who participated and the results were extremely positive: CTM increased mobility, physical activity, social connectedness and improved mental health indicators like loneliness. When these outcomes were assessed again, one year after the end of CTM, these improvements had diminished. In this trial the investigators aim to determine if health benefits of CTM can be maintained by providing ongoing support to CTM participants. Booster interventions have been defined as "brief contacts beyond the main part of the intervention to reinforce previous intervention content" (Fjeldsoe et al., 2011, p. 601). Choose to Move - Next Steps (CTM-NS) is a two-year intervention where participants who recently completed CTM will receive different doses of a 'booster' program. Specifically, participants will be randomly allocated to virtual group meetings on a monthly (study arm 1; high dose) or quarterly (study arm 2; low dose) basis. Group meetings will be facilitated by an Activity Coach. Objectives: The investigators will conduct 1) impact, 2) implementation, and 3) economic evaluations of CTM-NS across 24 months. Hypotheses: For objective 1, the investigators hypothesize that improvements in older adult participant outcomes (primary outcome: mobility; secondary outcomes: physical activity, loneliness, social isolation, social connectedness, sitting time, screen time, social network, health status) obtained during CTM will be maintained over the 2 year CTM-NS study. Participants in the monthly group meetings (study arm 1) will maintain benefits to a greater degree than participants in the quarterly group meetings (study arm 2). Objectives 2 and 3 are descriptive and therefore have no hypotheses.
Muscle Energy Technique Versus Maitland Mobilization on Shoulder Pain and Disability
Neck CancerMobility Limitation3 moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of muscle energy technique versus Maitland's mobilization on shoulder pain and disability after neck dissection surgeries.
Effect of Face Masks on Pulmonary Function in Patients With COPD
COPDWalking1 moreSince COPD patients are at higher risk for severe illness in case of SARS-CoV-2-infection, precautions such as wearing masks are important for them. However, for this group of patients wearing a mask can lead to increased shortness of breath and discomfort. Aim of this study is to examine the impact of wearing a face mask during 6-Minute-Walking-Tests (6-MWT) in COPD patients.
Assisted Ambulation to Improve Health Outcomes for Older Medical Inpatients
Mobility LimitationFrailty3 moreThe investigator proposes to conduct a randomized trial of supervised ambulation delivered by mobility technician (MT) up to three times daily, including weekends, to hospitalized medical patients. The aims of the study are to compare the short and intermediate-term outcomes of patients randomized to the intervention versus those patients randomized to receive usual care, to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from the intervention and to assess whether the intervention increases or decreases overall costs of an episode of care, including the cost of the MTs, the index hospitalization and the first 30 days post enrollment.
Evaluating Impact and Implementation of Choose to Move (Phase 4)
AgingMobility Limitation4 moreThe objectives of this study are to: 1) evaluate whether Choose to Move (CTM) Phase 4 improves health outcomes in older adults who participate and 2) assess whether CTM Phase 4 is delivered as planned and what factors support or inhibit its delivery at scale. CTM Phase 4 is a 3-month, choice-based program for low active older adults being scaled-up across British Columbia (BC), Canada. The goals of CTM are to enhance physical activity, mobility and social connectedness in older adults living in BC, Canada.
Walking Ankle Robot for Foot Drop in Aging and Disabled Populations: A Demonstration Project
Foot DropPeripheral Nervous System Diseases3 moreThe purpose of this research study is to test the utility of an ankle robot, when used during treadmill walking, in people with ankle weakness and foot drop from a peripheral nervous system injury due to neuromuscular or orthopedic injury.