Trial reportBMC geriatrics2024
Square-stepping exercise in older inpatients in early geriatric rehabilitation. A randomized controlled pilot study.
Trial report in BMC geriatrics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07150364 (Comparison of Square Stepping Exercise and Wobble Board Exercise on Cognition, Balance and Fall Risk in Elderly Population), which is not on this map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Comparison of Square Stepping Exercise and Wobble Board Exercise on Cognition, Balance and Fall Risk in Elderly Population
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acute Sarcopenia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Its Incidence and Muscle Parameter Shifts During Hospitalisation.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of Square-Stepping Exercise on cognitive function in early geriatric rehabilitation: A randomized controlled explorative study.PloS one · 2026Trial
- Physical activity levels, awareness, and associations with geriatric syndromes in hospitalized older adults: a cross-sectional study.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Square-stepping Exercise for Older Adults Attending a Daycare Service Facility: A Feasibility Study.Physical therapy research · 2026Article
- Quantifying Gait and Posture in Geriatric Inpatients Using Inertial Sensors and Posturography: A Cross-Sectional Study.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Influence of a multicomponent exercise intervention on fear of falling and gait parameters in community-dwelling older adults: a prospective study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Effects of Square Stepping Exercise on Physical, Cognitive and Psychosocial Fitness in People with Parkinson's Disease.The Psychiatric quarterly · 2025Article
- Use of a Technology-Based Fall Prevention Program With Visual Feedback in the Setting of Early Geriatric Rehabilitation: Controlled and Nonrandomized Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPreservation of mobility and fall prevention have a high priority in geriatric rehabilitation. Square-Stepping Exercise (SSE) as an evaluated and standardized program has been proven to be an effective training for older people in the community setting to reduce falls and improve subjectively perceived health status. This randomized controlled trial (RCT), for the first time, examines SSE in the context of inpatient early geriatric rehabilitation compared to conventional physiotherapy (cPT).
methodsData were collected in a general hospital in the department of acute geriatric care at admission and discharge. Fifty-eight inpatients were randomized to control (CG, n = 29) or intervention groups (IG, n = 29). CG received usual care with cPT five days per week during their hospital stay. For the IG SSE replaced cPT for at least six sessions, alternating with cPT. Physical function was measured with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Timed "Up & Go" (TUG). Gait speed was measured over a distance of 10 m. In a subgroup (n = 17) spatiotemporal gait parameters were analyzed via a GAITRite® system.
resultsBoth the SPPB total score improved significantly (p = < 0.001) from baseline to discharge in both groups, as did the TUG (p < 0.001). In the SPPB Chair Rise both groups improved with a significant group difference in favor of the IG (p = 0.031). For both groups gait characteristics improved: Gait speed (p = < 0.001), walk ratio (p = 0.011), step length (p = < 0.001), stride length (p = < 0.001) and double support (p = 0.009). For step length at maximum gait speed (p = 0.054) and stride length at maximum gait speed (p = 0.060) a trend in favor of the IG was visible.
conclusionsSSE in combination with a reduced number of sessions of cPT is as effective as cPT for inpatients in early geriatric rehabilitation to increase physical function and gait characteristics. In the Chair Rise test SSE appears to be superior. These results highlight that SSE is effective, and may serve as an additional component for cPT for older adults requiring geriatric acute care.
trial registrationDRKS00026191.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.