Changes in Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters During a Digitally Assisted Self-rehabilitation Program for Elderly Fallers ( DigiWalk )

Overview

Falls are a health issue that is both common among older adults (affecting 1 in 2 people each year after age 80) and serious due to their traumatic, psychological, and functionally disabling complications. The international literature shows that it is possible to prevent recurrent falls by addressing the risk factors for falls, particularly by combating a sedentary lifestyle and deconditioning through regular standing and mobility exercises as part of a rehabilitation program. As part of France's major national plan to prevent falls among older adults, and at a time when medicine is becoming increasingly personalized, prescribing a digitally assisted self-rehabilitation program for people over 65 following a fall could enable as many people as possible to benefit from rehabilitation that boosts their motivation and reduces the time spent by healthcare professionals, while ensuring high-quality follow-up care. LNA Santé, in collaboration with the Angers and Nantes University Hospitals, has developed a personalized, digitally assisted fall prevention program (the Stand'hop app) comprising three types of activities: tailored physical exercises, structured lifestyle advice, and an objective measurement of the patient's physical activity. Before moving forward with a larger-scale clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of this personalized, digitally assisted fall prevention program, the present study DigiWalk aims to describe changes in walking performance over 7 weeks among older adults who have experienced falls, when the program is used as an adjunct to standard care, compared to changes observed in older adults who have experienced falls and receive only standard care.

Detailed description

The main objective is to compare changes in spatiotemporal gait parameters, after 7 weeks of intervention, in :

* Elderly fallers with a digitally assisted self-rehabilitation program in addition to standard care * Elderly fallers with standard rehabilitation care

Interventions

• Other PFPP Group
  Digitally assisted self-rehabilitation program in addition to standard care using Personalized Fall Prevention Program (PFPP) through the Stand'hop app.
• Other Control Group
  Standard rehabilitation care

Primary outcome measures

• Walking speed (km/h). [Time frame: this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)]
• Changes in the spatiotemporal gait parameters between V1 and V3 : stride length Spatiotemporal gait parameters as measured using GAITRite® [Time frame: this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)]
• Changes in the spatiotemporal gait parameters between V1 and V3 : Percentage of double support time Spatiotemporal gait parameters as measured using GAITRite® [Time frame: this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)]
• Changes in the spatiotemporal gait parameters between V1 and V3 : Coefficient of variation of stride time Spatiotemporal gait parameters as measured using GAITRite® [Time frame: this outcome is assessed at baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)]

Secondary outcome measures (12)

• Number of falls [Time frame: baseline, 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)]
• Gait stability measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone (in percentage) [Time frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)]
• Time spent performing activities involving whole-body movements (minutes), measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone. [Time frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)]
• Number of hours per day during which the participant stood and moved for at least one minute per hour. Measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone. [Time frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)]
• Time spent standing (minutes), measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone. [Time frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)]
• Maximal oxygen consumption (VO₂max), measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone. [Time frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)]
• Number of daily steps, measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone. [Time frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 weeks max)]
• Changes in the number of calories burned per day Calories burned per day, are measured by a smartwatch paired with an iPhone. [Time frame: 1 week and 7 weeks (8 maximum)]
• Number of hospitalizations since the V1 visit [Time frame: 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)]
• Change of residence since the V1 visit (Yes or No) [Time frame: 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)]
• Changes in functional abilities measured by "Activities of Daily Living" (ADL) score (6 items) [Time frame: baseline and 7 weeks (8 weeks maximum)]
• Death (Yes or No) [Time frame: 3 weeks and 7 weeks (8 maximum)]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Patients aged 65 and older Fall at least once in the previous 3 months , requiring rehabilitation care from a physical therapist
• Signed informed consent or consent from a third party (trusted individual, family member, or close relative)
• Individuals physically capable of following a rehabilitation program (standard care, with or without digital assistance) and of wearing a watch
• Individuals capable of following a self-rehabilitation program as well as the study procedures independently or with the assistance of a caregiver if needed
• Patients enrolled in or covered by a social security program

Exclusion criteria

• A person deprived of liberty by an administrative or judicial decision, a person undergoing involuntary psychiatric treatment, or an adult subject to a legal protective measure
• Contraindications to rehabilitation programs offered following a fall (standard care, with or without digital assistance)

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation

Non-randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Open label

Primary purpose

Supportive care

Study locations

Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07741994 · 49RC26_0272 · 2026-A01541-50

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗