How pain affects relearning walking in older adults
Pain and Motor Learning in Older Adults
This research checks whether pain makes it harder for older adults, including people with chronic low back pain, to learn and remember new walking movements.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Delaware NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11285479 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would take part in walking practice sessions where researchers teach new walking patterns and test how well you remember them later. Some sessions use a controlled experimental pain method, and the study compares young adults, older adults without chronic pain, and older adults with chronic low back pain. The team will also measure thinking and memory skills to see if those relate to how well new movements stick. The work focuses on short-term learning and retention of walking patterns in a lab setting.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are older adults — including those with chronic low back pain — plus some younger adults for comparison, who can walk and attend in-person testing at the research site.
Not a fit: People whose problems are not related to walking or who cannot safely perform walking tasks in the lab (for example due to severe mobility limits or unstable medical issues) are unlikely to receive direct benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help therapists change rehab methods so people with pain or age-related cognitive decline keep new movement patterns better.
How similar studies have performed: Small laboratory studies suggest pain can reduce motor memory, but applying this specifically to older adults and chronic low back pain is a relatively new direction.
Where this research is happening
Newark, UNITED STATES
- University of Delaware — Newark, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Morton, Susanne M — University of Delaware
- Study coordinator: Morton, Susanne M
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.