GaitNCT05449730
An Investigation of the Gait Performance and Balance in Yoga Instructors
An observational study of Gait and Yoga, run by Cheng-Hsin General Hospital at 1 site in Taiwan.
Trial summary
Yoga is a popular exercise and thought to be beneficial to many aspects such as mood, flexibility and balance, etc. Gait performance is a indicator of overall health and functional status. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 25 to 60 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- 1 siteTaiwan
- Study dates
- 22 Jun 2022to 31 Oct 2022
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 25 to 60 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Study population: Yoga instructor: active and highly experienced Yoga instructor Healthy control: gender-matched healthy participants who had no experience with yoga training and participated in regular exercise 2 or 3 times a week
Who may be able to join
- overall good health and can cooperate with orders reasonably
- between the ages of 25 to 60 years old
- practicing three to six days per week and at least ten years of experience in yoga
- overall good health and can cooperate with orders reasonably
- between the ages of 25 to 60 years old
- participated in regular exercise 2 or 3 times a week
Who cannot join
- limb or leg discrepancy
- history of surgery on the lower limbs or spine
- history of musculoskeletal injury over the lower back in the past six months
- [Healthy control]
- limb or leg discrepancy
- history of surgery on the lower limbs or spine
- history of musculoskeletal injury over the lower back in the past six months
- experience of Yoga practicing
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Yoga is a popular exercise and thought to be beneficial to many aspects such as mood, flexibility and balance, etc. Gait performance is a indicator of overall health and functional status. This study aims to investigate whether or not yoga instructors have a more symmetric gait pattern and better balance ability than healthy people without experience of performing Yoga. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) will be used to gather data related to gait symmetry and single leg stance balance. A comparison by four performance indexes related to gait symmetry and balance will be made to quantify the potential advantages of yoga practice.
Read the detailed description
Yoga is a form of exercise with a focus on the structural alignment of the physical body. As Yoga movements involve a complex motion of core muscles and lower limb muscles, this exercise may be beneficial for gait stability. Gait performance is a sensitive indicator of overall health and functional status, and gait impairment can lead to a high risk of falling or diminished mobility. It was hypothesized that yoga instructors may have a more symmetric gait pattern and better balance ability than healthy non-yoga controls. Impact of yoga training on gait symmetry and single leg stance balance will be investigated. Twenty five yoga instructors and twenty five age/sex-matched healthy subjects will be recruited to conduct walking and static stability tests and these subjects' gait data and body movements will be measured during the experiments by attaching inertial measurement units (IMUs) to their lower limbs and trunks. Calculation of the subjects' asymmetry of swing phases during their gait cycles will be done to evaluate the gait performance. Afterwards, subjects will conduct four different one-leg stance tests. Two balance indexes will be defined and the recorded IMU data will be applied to evaluate the subjects' balance ability. Four performance indexes will then be defined to assess gait performance and single leg stance stability to quantify the potential advantages of yoga practice.
- Keywords
- Core muscle, Balance, Gait, Yoga, Symmetry, Inertial measurement units
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Yoga instructor | (a) overall good health and can cooperate with orders reasonably; (b) between the ages of 25 to 60 years old; (c) no limb or leg discrepancy; (d) no history of surgery on the lower limbs or spine; (e) no history of musculoskeletal injury over the lower back in the past six months; (f)practice yoga three to six days per week and at least ten years of experience in yoga | |
| Healthy adult control | (a) overall good health and can cooperate with orders reasonably; (b) between the ages of 25 to 60 years old; (c) no limb or leg discrepancy; (d) no history of surgery on the lower limbs or spine; (e) no history of musculoskeletal injury over the lower back in the past six months; (f) no experience with yoga training; (g)participated in regular exercise 2 or 3 times a week |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Gait performance index of normal walk
asymmetric level of the swing phases calculated by IMU when performing normal walk
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Gait performance index of Tandem gait with eyes open
asymmetric level of the swing phases calculated by IMU when performing Tandem gait with eyes open
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Gait performance index of Tandem gait with eyes closed
asymmetric level of the swing phases calculated by IMU when performing Tandem gait with eyes closed
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Open eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest
absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes open
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Open eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar
absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes open
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Closed eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest
absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes closed
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Closed eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar
absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes closed
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Open eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest
absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes open
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Open eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar
absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes open
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Closed eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest
absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes closed
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Closed eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar
absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes closed
Measured: within 1 month after recruitment
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted8 Jul 2022
- Study start22 Jun 2022
- Primary completion31 Oct 2022
- Study completion31 Oct 2022
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for GaitStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Cheng-Hsin General Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Taiwan University
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Szu-Fu Chen, MD/PhD, Principal investigator, Cheng-Hsin General Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05449730
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- (929)111-08
- Status last verified
- Aug 2023
- First submitted
- 24 Jun 2022
- Last updated
- 31 Aug 2023
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 31 Aug 2023. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- An Investigation of the Gait Performance and Balance in Yoga Instructors
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05449730
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- (929)111-08
- Keywords
- Core muscle, Balance, Gait, Yoga, Symmetry, Inertial measurement units
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Cheng-Hsin General HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Taiwan University
- Study start
- 22 Jun 2022 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Oct 2022 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Oct 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 8 Jul 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Yoga is a popular exercise and thought to be beneficial to many aspects such as mood, flexibility and balance, etc. Gait performance is a indicator of overall health and functional status. This study aims to investigate whether or not yoga instructors have a more symmetric gait pattern and better balance ability than healthy people without experience of performing Yoga. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) will be used to gather data related to gait symmetry and single leg stance balance. A comparison by four performance indexes related to gait symmetry and balance will be made to quantify the potential advantages of yoga practice.
Detailed description
Yoga is a form of exercise with a focus on the structural alignment of the physical body. As Yoga movements involve a complex motion of core muscles and lower limb muscles, this exercise may be beneficial for gait stability. Gait performance is a sensitive indicator of overall health and functional status, and gait impairment can lead to a high risk of falling or diminished mobility. It was hypothesized that yoga instructors may have a more symmetric gait pattern and better balance ability than healthy non-yoga controls. Impact of yoga training on gait symmetry and single leg stance balance will be investigated. Twenty five yoga instructors and twenty five age/sex-matched healthy subjects will be recruited to conduct walking and static stability tests and these subjects' gait data and body movements will be measured during the experiments by attaching inertial measurement units (IMUs) to their lower limbs and trunks. Calculation of the subjects' asymmetry of swing phases during their gait cycles will be done to evaluate the gait performance. Afterwards, subjects will conduct four different one-leg stance tests. Two balance indexes will be defined and the recorded IMU data will be applied to evaluate the subjects' balance ability. Four performance indexes will then be defined to assess gait performance and single leg stance stability to quantify the potential advantages of yoga practice.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Yoga instructor | – | –(a) overall good health and can cooperate with orders reasonably; (b) between the ages of 25 to 60 years old; (c) no limb or leg discrepancy; (d) no history of surgery on the lower limbs or spine; (e) no history of musculoskeletal injury over the lower back in the past six months; (f)practice yoga three to six days per week and at least ten years of experience in yoga |
| Healthy adult control | – | –(a) overall good health and can cooperate with orders reasonably; (b) between the ages of 25 to 60 years old; (c) no limb or leg discrepancy; (d) no history of surgery on the lower limbs or spine; (e) no history of musculoskeletal injury over the lower back in the past six months; (f) no experience with yoga training; (g)participated in regular exercise 2 or 3 times a week |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 25 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
- Study population
- Yoga instructor: active and highly experienced Yoga instructor Healthy control: gender-matched healthy participants who had no experience with yoga training and participated in regular exercise 2 or 3 times a week
Key inclusion criteria (6 listed)
- overall good health and can cooperate with orders reasonably
- between the ages of 25 to 60 years old
- practicing three to six days per week and at least ten years of experience in yoga
- overall good health and can cooperate with orders reasonably
- between the ages of 25 to 60 years old
Key exclusion criteria (8 listed)
- limb or leg discrepancy
- history of surgery on the lower limbs or spine
- history of musculoskeletal injury over the lower back in the past six months
- [Healthy control]
- limb or leg discrepancy
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Gait performance index of normal walk
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
asymmetric level of the swing phases calculated by IMU when performing normal walk
Gait performance index of Tandem gait with eyes open
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
asymmetric level of the swing phases calculated by IMU when performing Tandem gait with eyes open
Gait performance index of Tandem gait with eyes closed
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
asymmetric level of the swing phases calculated by IMU when performing Tandem gait with eyes closed
Open eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes open
Open eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes open
Closed eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes closed
Closed eye dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the dominant foot with eyes closed
Open eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes open
Open eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes open
Closed eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of chest
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
absolute angular velocities obtained by chest IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes closed
Closed eye non-dominant foot standing balance indexes of lumbar
Time frame: within 1 month after recruitment
absolute angular velocities obtained by lumbar IMU when standing on the non-dominant foot with eyes closed
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 31 Aug 2023.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Szu-Fu Chen, MD/PhD principal investigator
Cheng-Hsin General Hospital
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Gait and Yoga, run by Cheng-Hsin General Hospital at 1 site in Taiwan.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 31 Aug 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Taiwan. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Gait performance index of normal walk (time frame: within 1 month after recruitment). The study lists 11 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 31 Aug 2023.