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Sedentary Behavior / Physical InactivityExercise and fitness

What this study is

Simplified from ClinicalTrials.gov

Testing a wearable resistance training device for the calf muscles used in walking (WearAPT) to see if it improves walking speed, distance, and ankle strength in adults age 60 and older.

Read the original summary from ClinicalTrials.gov

This project introduces and investigates the scientific premise that passive wearable therapeutic devices can enhance plantarflexor muscle performance during walking to elicit and promote lasting physiological and functional improvements for older adults. The investigators aim to quantify the preliminary efficacy of wearable plantarflexor resistance training to enhance gait performance in older adults, investigate neural and muscular mechanisms of adaptation, and identify target candidate characteristics for personalized treatment strategies. The investigators will test the hypothesis that, compared to baseline and unlike controls, WearAPT will increase peak ankle power output, stride length, habitual and maximum walking speeds, walking economy, and 6-min walk distance.

What's being tested

  • Wearable Ankle Power Training (WearAPT)

    Intervention · OTHER

    Participants will complete two supervised, 20-min WearAPT sessions per week over the 6-week intervention period. Informed by a pilot study and designed to ensure a standardized starting point for all participants, all subjects will initially begin their first visit walking at their baseline preferred (self-selected) treadmill walking speed, and with 0 Nm of ankle resistive torque. The investigators will increase the resistance by 0.025 Nm/kg per minute, up to a maximum of 0.15 Nm/kg on the first session. On subsequent sessions, walking speed and resistance will be increased based on two evidence-based criteria monitored in 5-min intervals: (i) rate of perceived exertion (RPE) between 4 and 6, and (ii) a target heart rate indicative of moderate intensity activity (i.e., 50-70% maximum heart rate). The investigators will increase walking speed by 2.5% per session and resistive torque by 0.025 Nm/kg per week.

  • Control

    Intervention · OTHER

    Participants randomly assigned to the control group will participate in pre- and post- laboratory visits and will complete a protocol of dose- (i.e., 20 min) and intensity-matched (i.e., heart rate) unresisted treadmill walking alone. Specifically, control participants will walk at a speed designed to elicit the same target within-session heart rate (i.e., 50-70% maximum).

Study details

Sponsor
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Conditions
Sedentary Behavior / Physical Inactivity · Aged
Enrolling
72 people
Starts
2027-01-01
Est. completion
2030-03-01
Design
Single-blind, randomized, parallel groups
Record
View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗