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Multiple SclerosisPhase 1FARMS-1NCT01837017

Project FARMS: Fall Risk Reduction in Multiple Sclerosis

A Phase 1 study testing Home-based Exercise in people with Multiple Sclerosis, run by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Over half of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) report falling over a 6-month period and a majority of those who fall require medical attention for injuries. Importantly, balance dysfunction, muscle weakness, and spasticity are modifiable risk factors for falls among community-dwelling older adults and likely… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 50 to 75 years
Conditions the study is for
Multiple Sclerosis
What is being tested?
Home-based Exercise
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
33 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jun 2012to Mar 2013
Phase
Phase 1
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 50 to 75 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • having an established definite diagnosis of MS;
  • being independently ambulatory or ambulatory with an aid;
  • having the visual ability necessary to read 14 point font;
  • meeting the age requirement (i.e., 50-75 years of age);
  • having fallen at least once in the past year and
  • willingness and ability to attend the training sessions and testing sessions

Who cannot join

  • non-ambulatory;
  • risk factors contra-indicative for undertaking strenuous exercise as determined by the physical activity readiness questionnaire.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Illinois UC

    Urbana, Illinois, 61802

Other trials in United States

About this study

Over half of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) report falling over a 6-month period and a majority of those who fall require medical attention for injuries. Importantly, balance dysfunction, muscle weakness, and spasticity are modifiable risk factors for falls among community-dwelling older adults and likely persons with MS. Indeed, there is evidence that these physiological risk factors can be minimized with exercise training in persons with MS and this might translate into a decrease in fall risk as documented in community-dwelling older adults.

The investigation will examine the effectiveness of a home-based exercise program that is designed to reduce fall risk by targeting specific fall risk factors including balance dysfunction and two of its latent causes, muscle weakness and spasticity in persons with multiple sclerosis. It is predicted that persons who receive home-based exercise program will have a reduction in fall risk.

Read the detailed description

Over half of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) report falling over a 6-month period and half of those who fall require medical attention for injuries. To make matters worse, a fall can result in activity curtailment, physiological deconditioning, and institutionalization. Importantly, balance dysfunction, muscle weakness, and spasticity are modifiable risk factors for falls among community-dwelling older adults and likely persons with MS. Indeed, there is evidence that these physiological risk factors can be minimized with exercise training in persons with MS and this might translate into a decrease in fall risk as documented in community-dwelling older adults. To that end, an appropriately designed exercise training program that targets specific, modifiable risk factors might be effective for decreasing the fall risk in persons with MS.

The investigation will examine the effectiveness of a home-based exercise program that is designed to reduce fall risk by targeting specific fall risk factors including balance dysfunction and two of its latent causes, muscle weakness and spasticity in persons with multiple sclerosis. It is predicted that persons who receive home-based exercise program will have a reduction in fall risk.

Participants will undergo multidimensional assessment of walking, balance, muscle strength, spasticity and fall risk prior to and immediately following the 12 week intervention. Following baseline assessment participants will be randomized into intervention or control groups. The intervention group will receive exercise instruction 4 times over 2 months. The home-based exercise protocol will focus on improving balance, walking, lower limb and core muscle strength, and spasticity, all potential determinants of falling.

Being tested
Home-based Exercise
Keywords
Falls,, Balance,, Gait,, Older adults
Medical subject headings
Multiple Sclerosis

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Home-based ExerciseBehavioural

    This is a control group with no intervention

Study groups in NCT01837017
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Home-based ExerciseExperimentalThe home-based exercise group attends 4 exercise instructional sessions lead by a train exercise specialist. The exercise protocol focuses on improving balance, walking, lower limb and core muscle strength, and spasticity. The instructional session teaches participants a standardized series of exercises that focus on balance, muscle strength, and stretching. The exercises target lower limb \& core muscle function. Once taught, participants will perform the exercises 3 times a week in their home as outlined in a manual. Subjects return in the first month and second month to ensure that exercises are being executed with correct form and appropriate intensity level. Compliance of at-home exercise will be assessed with diaries that participants complete every other week.
Receives: Behavioral: Home-based Exercise
ControlNo interventionWait-list control.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Physiological Fall risk

    Physiological fall risk will be determined by the physiological profile assessment which assesses physiological function related to fall risk by combining measures of vision, proprioception, lower-limb strength, postural sway, and cognitive function.

    Measured: 3 months

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Mobility

    Mobility will be quantified with performance on timed 25 foot walk (T25W), timed up and go (TUG), Six spot step test, 6 minute walk and the MS walking scale-12.

    Measured: 3 months

  2. Balance

    Balance will be quantified with the Berg Balance scale; self-report of balance impairment (ABC); and force platform metrics (sway range and velocity).

    Measured: 3 Months

  3. Spasticity

    Spasticity will be assessed with the modified ashworth scale.

    Measured: 3 Months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted22 Apr 2013 (estimated)
  2. Study startJun 2012
  3. Primary completionDec 2012
  4. Study completionMar 2013

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 1
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
33 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01837017
Sponsor's protocol ID
CMSC-2012
Other IDs
CMSC 2011-06476
Acronym
FARMS-1
Status last verified
Nov 2014
First submitted
17 Apr 2013
Last updated
25 Nov 2014
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Sosnoff JJ, Finlayson M, McAuley E, Morrison S, Motl RW. Home-based exercise program and fall-risk reduction in older adults with multiple sclerosis: phase 1 randomized controlled trial. Clin Rehabil. 2014 Mar;28(3):254-63. doi: 10.1177/0269215513501092. Epub 2013 Aug 27.

    PubMed 23983091

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 1 study testing Home-based Exercise in people with Multiple Sclerosis, run by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at 1 site in United States.

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 2 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 25 Nov 2014. 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 United States. 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.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

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?

Physiological Fall risk (time frame: 3 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01837017, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 25 Nov 2014.

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