Neck Integration and Eye Movement Training for Fall Risk in the Elderly

Summary

Age is one of the primary risk factors for falls, with risk increasing as people get older. Research on fall risk and prevention has identified hundreds of contributing factors, showing that falls have complex and multifactorial causes. Risk factors can be categorized as environmental, extrinsic, or intrinsic. Intrinsic factors include physiological aspects-such as reduced lower-limb strength, impaired gait and balance, weaker grip strength, diminished sensory function, and poorer sensorimotor control-as well as psychological aspects, including fear of falling, depression, and cognitive decline. Strongly associated intrinsic risk factors include a history of falls, physical weakness, gait and balance disorders, certain medications, and dizziness. While fixed factors like age and fall history cannot be changed, identifying and targeting modifiable risk factors is crucial for prevention. Among these, gait and balance impairments are considered the most important modifiable intrinsic factors.

Conditions

• Elderly
• Proprioception, Postural Balance
• Oculomotor System

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Combining neck muscle strengthening with oculomotor saccade tasks.

he exercise program begins at 30% of 1RM, progressing by first increasing repetitions (8-10 up to 8-12) and then intensity (+5% of 1RM). Training sessions include a 5-minute warm-up, 20 minutes of exercise, and a 5-minute cool-down, performed twice per week for 30 minutes per session. Neck strengthening is performed using the Iron Neck, which provides constant resistance. Exercises include maintaining a neutral neck position, protraction-retraction, left-right rotation, dynamic figure-8 movements, and synchronized 360° head-body rotations. Each exercise consists of two sets of 8-12 repetitions, with 30 seconds rest between repetitions and 1 minute between sets. After neck training, participants in the intervention group perform oculomotor saccade tasks while maintaining a neutral head position. Five visual targets appear randomly in front of the participant for 1 second each. The task lasts 40 seconds, followed by 1-2 minutes of rest, and is repeated three times.

BEHAVIORAL

Neck Strengthening Only

he exercise program begins at 30% of 1RM, progressing by first increasing repetitions (8-10 up to 8-12) and then intensity (+5% of 1RM). Training sessions include a 5-minute warm-up, 20 minutes of exercise, and a 5-minute cool-down, performed twice per week for 30 minutes per session. Neck strengthening is performed using the Iron Neck, which provides constant resistance. Exercises include maintaining a neutral neck position, protraction-retraction, left-right rotation, dynamic figure-8 movements, and synchronized 360° head-body rotations. Each exercise consists of two sets of 8-12 repetitions, with 30 seconds rest between repetitions and 1 minute between sets.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Kaohsiung Medical University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Max Age

85 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-08-10

Primary Completion

2025-12-31

Completion

2026-05-31

Countries

• Taiwan

Study Locations