Exercise Programs for Fall Prevention in Older Adults
This project spans the assessment and implementation of an individualized, gait-variability-based, fall-risk-reduction exercise program for community-dwelling older adults.
Individualized, variability-informed exercise programming to reduce fall risk in older adults through gait-instability modulation.
Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries and hospitalizations among adults aged 65 and older. Even in the absence of physical injury, the psychological consequences—particularly the fear of falling—can significantly reduce physical activity, confidence, and overall quality of life. Despite widespread awareness and intervention efforts, hospitalization rates due to fall-related injuries continue to rise.
Dr. Andreas Skiadopoulos investigated how older adults adapt their movement under altered inertial conditions, with a specific focus on step width variability—an important determinant of gait stability and fall risk. The study evaluated the effectiveness of a simple lateral stepping gait training program designed to reduce gait variability. The central hypothesis was that decreasing step width variability would enhance balance control and lower the risk of falling.
By targeting gait variability—a modifiable and measurable biomarker—this research contributed to the development of evidence-based interventions and preventative strategies that promote healthy aging and sustained independence among at-risk populations. The study was supported by the NIGMS/NIH COBRE for the Center for Research in Human Movement Variability and the Nebraska Collaboration Initiative.
Connection to adapted physical education
Although this work targets community-dwelling older adults rather than a school-aged or clinical population, it shares the same applied aim as my broader research in adapted physical education: designing an individualized, evidence-based exercise intervention — grounded in a measurable movement biomarker — to reduce fall risk, preserve functional independence, and support quality of life in a population whose movement capacity is constrained by age-related decline.
Previous Research Projects - Funding
- 2019–2021 A Novel Task to Decrease Step Width Variability in Older Adults. Nebraska Research Initiative — University of Nebraska Collaboration Initiative Seed Grant. $273,981. University of Nebraska, USA. Principal Investigators: Nicholas Stergiou, PhDIraklis Pipinos, MDJ. MastersKendra Schmid, PhD Postdoctoral Research Associate: Andreas Skiadopoulos, PhD
- 2017–2019 Variability of Movement on an Altered Inertial Dynamics Task. National Institutes of Health / National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE) Early-Career Pilot Project Award, P20GM109090. $123,458 ($61,729 per year). Center for Research in Human Movement Variability, University of Nebraska at Omaha, USA. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04505527 Principal Investigator: Andreas Skiadopoulos, PhD
Publications
Talks and Conference Presentations
- 2021
Walking in a Width-Changing Virtual Corridor Affects Step Width Variability
26th Annual Meeting of the Gait & Clinical Movement Analysis Society (GCMAS 2021) · Virtual Conference - 2021
Walking in a Width-Changing Virtual Corridor Affects Gait Variability
Human Movement Variability Conference (HMVC) 2021 · Omaha, USA - 2020
The Effect of a 6-Week Sideways Walking Intervention on Gait Biomechanics in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Fifth Annual Conference in Human Movement Variability & First Annual Great Plains Biomechanics Conference · Omaha, USA - 2020
A Simulation-Based Investigation of Unbiased Detrended Fluctuation Analysis
Fifth Annual Conference in Human Movement Variability & First Annual Great Plains Biomechanics Conference · Omaha, USA - 2020
Training with Lateral Stepping Reduces Risk of Falling in Older Adults
12th UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair · Omaha, USA - 2019
Unbiased Detrended Fluctuation Analysis for Short Psychological Time Series
49th Annual Meeting of the Society for Computers in Psychology (SCiP 2019) · Montreal, Canada - 2019
Do Rhythmic Auditory Stimuli Enhance Recovery Against Unexpected Perturbations? A Novel Approach to Quantify Resilience During Walking
XXVII Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics, joint with the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics (ISB/ASB 2019) · Calgary, Canada - 2019
Training with Lateral Stepping Improves Clinical Balance Tests in Older Adults
XXVII Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics, joint with the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics (ISB/ASB 2019) · Calgary, Canada - 2019
The Effect of a Novel Task Intervention on Gait Variability in Older Adults
XXVII Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics, joint with the 43rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Biomechanics (ISB/ASB 2019) · Calgary, Canada - 2019
Training with Lateral Stepping Improves Clinical Balance Tests in Older Adults
Fourth Annual Conference in Human Movement Variability · Omaha, USA - 2019
The Effect of a Novel Task Intervention on Gait Variability in Older Adults
Fourth Annual Conference in Human Movement Variability · Omaha, USA - 2019
Harnessing Movement Variability to Prevent Falls and Repetitive Motion Injuries
Biomechanics Seminar Series, Department of Biomechanics and Center for Research in Human Movement Variability · Omaha, USA - 2019
The Effect of a Novel Task Intervention on Gait Variability and Balance in Older Adults
11th UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair · Omaha, USA - 2018
The Presence of a 1/f Structure in Our Walking Can Enable Us to Withstand Falls
Society for Neuroscience (SfN) 2018 Annual Meeting · San Diego, USA - 2018
Human Movement Variability and Falls in the Elderly
8th World Congress of Biomechanics · Dublin, Ireland - 2018
A Novel Task to Decrease Step Width Variability in Older Adults
Third Annual Conference in Human Movement Variability · Omaha, USA - 2018
Can the Presence of a 1/f Structure in Stride-to-Stride Variability Enable Us to Withstand Falls?
10th UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair · Omaha, USA - 2018
A Novel Task to Decrease Step Width Variability in Older Adults
10th UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair · Omaha, USA
