Background: Aging is characterized by reduced cognitive and physical functions; consequently, balance, falling and different activities of daily living get exaggerated reductions. Psychological status and falling are related bidirectionally. Depression is a common mental or mood disorder affecting more than 264 million people worldwide. It is a recurrent state of unhappiness and loss of interest. It is not simple as fluctuating mood because of short emotional response. To prevent falling, functional mobility and impairment of balance should be addressed. Many studies have shown that treadmill training is effective in improving the elderly person's ability to walk. The C-Mill treadmill afford a safe virtual reality environment and challenging obstacles and balance games, which increase of walking and improve everyday life performance. Aims: This study aims are to investigate the clinical effectiveness of virtual reality treadmill training on psychological status and balance in elderly population in addition to compare the significant differences between them. Materials \& Methods: Fifty-Eight elderly participants will be equally and randomly assigned to Group-I: Twenty-Nine participants will be trained on C-Mill treadmill for 50 minutes per session /2 session /week for six successive weeks. Group-II: Twenty-Nine participants will be trained on conventional treadmill for 50 minutes per session /2 session /week for six successive weeks. Psychological status and Depression will be evaluated by using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-2, Geriatric Depression Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory while the balance will be evaluated by using Berge balance scale and timed up and go test, whereas the functional capacity will be measured by using 6 MWT. Statistical analysis: The data will be statistically analysis by using (SPSS version 25). The Shapiro walk test will be used to examine the normality of data distribution. Independent t- test will be used to determine significant differences between two groups (between groups) and paired t- test to determine significant differences before and after intervention in both groups. Significance level at \<0.05 and confidence interval CI with 95%.
Fifty-Eight elderly participants will be equally and randomly assigned to Group-I: Twenty-Nine participants will be trained on C-Mill treadmill for 50 minutes per session /2 session /week for six successive weeks. Group-II: Twenty-Nine participants will be trained on conventional treadmill for 50 minutes per session /2 session /week for six successive weeks. Psychological status and Depression will be evaluated by using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-2, Geriatric Depression Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory while the balance will be evaluated by using Berge balance scale and timed up and go test, whereas the functional capacity will be measured by using 6 MWT
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
58
C Mell treadmill provides Virtual Reality environment for rehabilitation with obstacles and motivational assistance
Biodex Balance System (BBS; Biodex Inc., Shirley, NY)
It will be utilized as a reliable and valid device for measuring balance stability during standing in both static and dynamic situations (Cachupe et al.,2001 and Chen et al., 2014). Two balance tests will be performed: Limit of Stability (LOS) and Fall risk test. Both tests challenge the ability of participants to control and maintain balance by maintaining their center of gravity within their base of support. The Biodex system has both a static and dynamic mode with 12 levels of platform tilt (greatest stability level = level 12; least stability level = level 1). The static mode and dynamic level (11) of platform tilt will be e selected in this study to perform PST and LOS tests.
Time frame: 6 Weeks
Berg Balance Scale
a 14-item list; each will be scored ranging from (0-4); 0 is the lowest and 4 is the highest function (0 -20 = high fall risk, 21-40 = medium fall risk and 41-56 = low fall risk). This tool is valid and reliable
Time frame: 6 weeks
The Timed Up and Go Test (TUG)
It will be used to assess the following parameters in older adults: fall risk, walking ability, balance, and mobility. Participants while wearing regular footwear will start from sitting position by standing up upon therapist's command; walk forward for 3 meters, turn around, walk back to the chair and sit down when timing should stop. Any assistive devices should be noted. It is a reliable, valid, and sensitive test that is a specific measure of the probability for falls among elderly.
Time frame: 6 weeks
The six-minute walk test (6MWT)
It will assess the distance that the participant's walking capacity for a total of six minutes on a hard, uneven surface. The 6MWT was originally developed in frail elderly patients aged 60-90 years referred to a geriatric hospital. It has been used to determine exercise tolerance changes following interventions for healthy older adults
Time frame: 6 Weeks
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
It is a 21-items and self-report form used to assess the presence and severity of symptoms of depression in adults (13-80 years old). Questions should be answered upon participant's feeling during last 2 weeks. The BDI takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The higher the Beck score the higher the feelings of depression; (1-10) These ups and downs are considered normal, (11-16) mild mood disturbance (17-20) borderline clinical depression (21-30) moderate depression (31-40) severe depression above 40 reflects extreme depression. This tool is reliable and has been validated and standardized on geriatric population with relatively less somatic-related items
Time frame: 6 Weeks
Geriatric Depression Scale - 15 (short form) (GDS-15)
It is a 15-items, and self-report form. All are YES/NO question, each is worth one point and should be answered based on participant's feeling over last week. 10 items indicate presence of depression if answered positively, while the other 5 indicate depression if answered negatively. This form can be completed in approximately 5 to 7 minutes. This tool has been validated and has a high correlation with depressive symptoms and differentiates between depressed from non-depressed patients. It is valid and reliable scale in geriatrics with a cut-off score of 6 on GDS-15 has 94% sensitivity and 85% specificity in community dwelling older adults, while a cut-off score of 5 has 72% sensitivity and 78% specificity in home care patients
Time frame: 6 Weeks
Depression in Old Age Scale (DIA-S
is a self-report instrument consists of ten (Yes/No) short statements that focus on emotional, motivational, and cognitive symptoms of . It has a higher specificity and internal consistency (Heidenblut \& Zank, 2010). This tool is recommended for research and clinical practice (Heidenblut \& Zank, 2020). Score ranges from (0-10); where (0 = no depressive symptoms) and (10 = maximal depressive symptoms); where 4 is an indicative for a depressive disorder.
Time frame: 6 Weeks
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) Arabic version
is a self-report instrument that consists of three domains; each domain has seven items. Using a four-point Likert scale (0-3), it assesses the negative emotional symptoms. 3 indicates higher severity of negative symptoms. The three domains are: Depression scale, Anxiety scale, and Stress scale. This tool is valid and has excellent reliability.
Time frame: 6 Weeks
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.