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Wearable Ankle Power Training (WearAPT) for Enhanced Mobility in Aging
Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Summary
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.
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
60 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
72
Start Date
2027-01-01
Completion Date
2030-03-01
Last Updated
2026-10-27
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
Wearable Ankle Power Training (WearAPT)
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
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).
Locations (2)
Biomechatronics Laboratory
Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
Applied Biomechanics Laboratory
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States