Fear of Falling in Muscular Dystrophy

Launched by UNIVERSITA DI VERONA · Aug 11, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at the fear of falling in people with muscular dystrophy, a group of conditions that cause muscle weakness. The study aims to find out how common this fear is, how it changes over time, and what factors like physical ability, thinking skills, and emotions might be connected to it. For those who have a strong fear of falling that affects their daily life, the trial will compare two treatments: one is physical therapy to help with movement, and the other combines physical therapy with a type of talk therapy called cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps people manage their thoughts and feelings.

To join the study, participants need to be between 16 and 65 years old, have a diagnosis of a form of muscular dystrophy, and still be able to walk to some extent. They also need to have a certain level of thinking ability as measured by a simple memory and thinking test. Those who continue to have a significant fear of falling after three months may take part in the treatment part of the study. Participants can expect to be assessed over time to see how their fear of falling and overall quality of life change, and if the treatments help reduce fear and improve their ability to move safely. The study is currently recruiting people who meet these criteria and who can commit to the treatment and follow-up visits.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Diagnosis of muscular dystrophy: myotonic, facio-scapular-humeral, Becker, cingulate, Emery-Dreifuss, and distal;
• • 16 to 65 years of age;
• • Patients with residual walking capacity: functional ambulation category (FAC) at least equal to 1
• • MMSE corrected for age and education of 23,8 points.
• Specific Work Package 2 (WP2) inclusion criterion:
• • - the persistence of Fear Of Falling at 3 months, identified as a score of at least 16 points at the Falls efficacy scale - International (FES-I);
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • The presence of factors that may lead to the assumption that it is a priori impossible to ensure adequate adherence to the proposed treatment;
• • Concurrent management in other rehabilitation centers or participation in other research projects
• • Language barrier;
• • Failure to sign informed consent.