Active clinical trials for "Mobility Limitation"

The population is aging and chronic conditions, which are major causes of pain and mobility limitations, are on the rise, however, current access to physiotherapy is difficult. Knowledge on managing disability is substantial, but methods to translate into action are lacking. This project is designed to test a novel method of promoting function in vulnerable seniors and simultaneously develop awareness in the new generation of physiotherapists that they can have a proactive role in health promotion. The investigators are proposing a pilot project targeting both students and patients. The research question are (1) What are the needs of vulnerable patients at the MUHC? Two groups will be targeted; newly discharged seniors (who will be eligible for an intervention) and cancer outpatients who will be surveyed only);(2) For a senior population at risk for physical deterioration, to what extent is a personalized mentoring approach to optimizing function and preventing disability through developing self-management skills more effective in improving outcomes than the provision of written material covering the same general content? (3) Does a mentoring experience with vulnerable seniors through development and teaching of a self-management program (comprised of education and support) produce meaningful positive changes in future clinicians' knowledge, skills and attitude towards modes of delivering physiotherapy services and promoting self-management in Canadian seniors? There are two phases to this study: a survey and randomized controlled trial (RCT). The survey phase will identify mobility needs of two groups, newly discharged seniors and cancer outpatients. The needs assessment for newly discharged seniors will identify people eligible for the (RCT) component; the needs assessment for cancer outpatients will inform the development of interventions for this specific group. The RCT component will be piloted for recently discharged community dwelling seniors 70 years and older only. A sample of 400 seniors recently discharged from the adult, general, hospital sites of the MUHC will be contacted for a needs assessment. From this pool, the investigators anticipate 100 will be eligible and 60 will be randomized, 30 to the mentor intervention and 30 to the control group. Participants will be followed-up for 6 months and assessments will be performed at 2 time points (baseline and 6 months). The main outcome is a standardized response ratio (SRR) estimated across all persons and measures. SRRs will be calculated for three groups of response variables: impairment/mobility measures, quality of life indicators, and health services outcomes. In parallel, to determine cancer survivor needs, the investigators will contact 600 cancer survivors; as the investigators anticipate 400 will answer the survey. The analysis of this survey will consist of frequency of specific needs by diagnosis and treatment.

This will be a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group, double blind, clinical trial in community dwelling, older men, 65 years of age or older, who have mobility limitation and low protein intake. The study will have a 2 X 2 factorial design, which will allow us to investigate the effects of dietary protein intake and testosterone separately and together.

This research study is looking at the effects of a whey protein nutritional supplement on changes in muscle mass, strength and physical function in response to a 6 month program of strength training exercise.

Loss of mobility and cognitive ability are serious conditions that threaten the independence of older adults. The objective of this study is to initiate a line of research to develop a novel therapeutic intervention to enhance both mobility and cognition via neuroplasticity of frontal/executive circuits.

The study aims to investigate the 1) differences between stroke patients and healthy controls in time, steps, angular velocity, stepping patterns, electromyographic responses during turning, and the association of turning to trunk control and motor function after stroke; 2) the effectiveness of trunk training on turning performance, trunk control and motor function in stroke patients.

Correcting of the lack of regularity in steps is a key component of gait rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease. The proposal is to introduce adaptive spatial auditory cueing (ASAC) based on verbal instruction "lengthen the step" automatically delivered when the stride length decreased below a predetermined threshold. The present study compared the effect of usual rhythmic auditory cueing versus ASAC used during a walking training in Parkinson's disease.

Rehabilitation Enhancing Aging through Connected Health, REACH, is designed to evaluate the benefits of a novel rehabilitative care program on physical function utilizing mobile health technology to deliver patient centered care more efficiently and health care utilization after one year of follow up.

Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) is a music therapy technique that provides rhythmic auditory cues (like a beat) to help improve patients' movements, especially when walking. The purpose of this study is to compare the effect on walking performance of a home based walking program (HBWP) with Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS), to that of a HBWP without RAS, or to RAS without walking exercise. A second part of this study will assess the effects of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) on brain activity in patients with Multiple Sclerosis while performing mental imagery of walking.

Many older adults have difficulty walking. A wheelchair can improve their participation but older adults typically receive little wheelchair training. Structured training programs are effective but rely on multiple 1:1 sessions with a skilled clinician. EPIC WheelS combines 2 brief training sessions and a 4-week home training program delivered using a portable computer tablet and monitored by an expert trainer. This study investigates the feasibility and potential for using EPIC WheelS with older adult novice wheelchair users in Vancouver and Winnipeg, measuring the impact on wheelchair skill, safety and confidence compared to a control group receiving only cognitive training. Hypotheses: The investigators expect that the feasibility outcomes will be sufficiently robust to support conducting a subsequent multi-site RCT. The investigators also expect the EPIC WheelS training program will have a significant treatment effect with improvement in wheelchair mobility, compared to a control group.

This study aims to increase physical activity among overweight African-American women with mobility limitations.