Lessons Learned from a Preliminary Study of Non-Treadmill-Based Trip Training

Falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries, and trips account for a high percentage of falls. Trip training is a form of perturbation-based balance training that involves exposing individuals to trip-like treadmill perturbations to improve reactive balance and thus reduce fall risk. However, significant costs and space requirements associated with specialized treadmills for this training may hinder its adoption. In this preliminary study, we evaluated a novel non-treadmill training (NT) protocol that would alleviate these requirements. We compared NT to the more common treadmill training (TT) and a control intervention among a convenience sample of healthy young adults. Results showed some promise for NT, while also providing valuable lessons for an upcoming similar study involving adults aged 65 and older.