Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Feasibility of an Interactive Video-Based Training Program for Learning and Reviewing Walking Aid Skills
Abstract. Over 11 million American adults use walking aids daily for a myriad of reasons. Despite their potential benefits, canes, crutches, and walkers may result in upper body pain, upper body injury, and, paradoxically, an increased risk of falling. The addition of a walking aid-related injury to an individual already experiencing impaired mobility may compound disability, worsen independence, and increase caregiver burden. The risks of using walking aids increase when users are not properly fitted with their devices or trained on how to use them. As such, adequate training on walking aid fitting and assisted gait patterns may mitigate the risks of walking aid use. Many healthcare professionals who are responsible for the dispensation of walking aids, including nurses and pharmacists, may also not receive adequate education on walking aid fitting and gait patterns This gap in education on safe walking aid use emphasizes the need for a validated program to teach and reinforce walking aid skills with short and long-term walking aid users.
Mobile applications (“apps”) for clinical use are becoming increasingly common. Research has demonstrated the ability of apps to improve health outcomes in healthy populations and people with chronic conditions, such as lung disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Given the gaps in knowledge and education on walking aid skills and the potential for mobile applications in improving health outcomes, an app-based intervention may provide a solution to increasing the accessibility of walking aid skill acquisition. We aimed to conduct a feasibility study on an app-based intervention for teaching walking aid skills to walking aid users to provide insight into conducting a larger-scale trial with the intervention. The primary objective was to evaluate six feasibility indicators critical to informing a clinical trial of the effectiveness of the intervention. The secondary objective was to assess the impact of the intervention on clinically relevant outcomes. The primary clinical outcome was balance confidence, and the secondary clinical outcomes were functional mobility, balance, and endurance.
O'Brien M, Best K, Barnabe C, Routhier F, Miller W, Manocha RHK. (2025) Feasibility Of An Interactive Video-Based Training Program For Learning And Reviewing Walking Aid Skills. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2025 (25). doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2025.04.005. (Preprint)