Workplace Fall Prevention Through Slip Recovery Training

NCT ID: NCT05740124

Last Updated: 2025-06-27

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 34 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-06-01
• Study Completion Date: 2025-03-31

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility of applying slip recovery training, a novel balance training exercise intervention, to workers who are at increased risk of slip-induced falls. This will be done via field studies with industrial partners. Note that the slip recovery training is not a device or drug. It is a detailed exercise regimen that aims to improve the the ability to recover balance after slipping.

The main specific aims are are:

• To investigate the feasibility of on-site slip recovery training
• To validate field assessments for evaluating slip recovery training efficacy in subsequent research

Participants will complete 3-6 once-weekly sessions of slip recovery training, answer daily text messages indicating any falls they experience while working over the 12 weeks after completing slip recovery training, and a subset of workers will be asked to participate in focus group discussions after the 12 weeks to provide information on the long-term feasibility of slip recovery training. A group of workers at Virginia Tech will also be asked to complete a laboratory session of testing during which they will be exposed to a laboratory-induced slip so that gold-standard measures of slip-induced fall recovery can be used to validate field assessments.

Workers who complete slip recovery training will be compared to another group of workers who complete an alternative balance training that should improve balance but not improve slip recovery that is targeted by slip recovery training.

Conditions

Accidental Fall

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Slip recovery training

Once weekly sessions of slip recovery training for 3 or 6 weeks. Each session will be 20 minutes of training. Training will involve volitional and reactive stepping movements that mimic the movements necessary to recover balance after slipping while walking.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

slip recovery training

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants practice volitional and reactive stepping responses that mimic those needed when recovering balance after slipping.

Alternative balance training

Once weekly sessions of balance training for 3 or 6 weeks. Each session will be 20 minutes of training. Training will involve standing balance under varied sensory conditions, and tandem walking forward and backward under varied sensory conditions.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

alternative balance training

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants practice standing and walking under varied sensory conditions.

Interventions

slip recovery training

Participants practice volitional and reactive stepping responses that mimic those needed when recovering balance after slipping.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

alternative balance training

Participants practice standing and walking under varied sensory conditions.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Virginia Tech workers in Dining Services, Facilities and Housekeeping, and construction.
• Veolia field workers in water distribution and water main construction
• age 18-65 years old
• willing to complete 3 or 6 training sessions, lab testing session, and daily falls tracking for 12 weeks

Exclusion Criteria

• weigh over 250 pounds
• answer 'no' to all questions of the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Michael Madigan

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Michael L Madigan, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Locations

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

22-853

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id