Effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait speed in older adult inpatients in a convalescent rehabilitation ward: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To assess the impact of gait training with rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on enhancing gait speed in older people admitted to a convalescent rehabilitation ward (CRW), compared to conventional gait training methods.

Methods: The study was designed as a single-center, open-label, pilot, randomized, parallel-group study. Thirty older people admitted to CRW were divided into two groups: the experimental group, which received gait training with RAS (n = 15, females = 53.3%, mean age = 83.9, SD = 6.5), and the control group, which underwent usual gait training (n = 15, females = 60.0%, mean age = 81.3, SD = 8.4). Regardless of their assigned group, all participants underwent 30 min training sessions, five times a week, for 3 weeks. The primary outcome was the 10 m walk test (10mWT), and the secondary outcomes included the Medical Outcome Study 8-Item Short-Form Health Survey and the Japanese version of the modified Gait Efficacy Scale. All measurements were taken at baseline and again at week 3.

Results: Results indicated that older people in CRWs in the experimental group showed significant improvements in their 10mWT (effect size - 1.02) compared to the control group. None of the secondary outcomes were significant.

Conclusions: This study suggests the preliminary effectiveness and feasibility of a gait practice intervention using RAS in a CRW.

Trial Registration: The University Hospital Medical Information Network (UMIN) Registered 1 October 2022 (UMIN000049089).