Getting seniors back on their bicycle; a pretest-posttest case-control study on the improvement of bicycle balance control

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveQuantify the effectiveness and generalizability of an intervention that aims at restoring bicycle balance control skills in seniors that have quit cycling.MethodsThe intervention was designed such that the difficulty of the bicycle balance control task could be increased in a stepwise fashion, gradually approaching the difficulty of bicycle balance control on the public roads. The intervention lasted 11 weeks and involved three components: (1) training on an exercise bicycle, (2) balance control training on a bicycle simulator, and (3) cycling on the public roads with a safe start-and-stop technique that was practiced on the bicycle simulator. The intervention was administered to a group of community-dwelling senior citizens (N=23) that had quit cycling (N=19) or that were on the verge of doing so (N=4). The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated by comparing balance control skill and confidence between a post- and a pre-intervention measurement. As a check for possible spontaneous recovery, the same comparison was also performed in a matched control group that did not participate in the intervention.ResultsThis intervention produced a very large improvement (Cohen’s d = 1.8, t(16)=7.5, p<.001) in balance control skills and confidence on the public roads.ConclusionBicycle balance control skills and confidence can be restored over a short period of time. However, this does not rule out the importance of the slower process of acquiring a sufficient lower body strength.Impact StatementIncreasing balance control skills and confidence is a realistic short-term target for rehabilitation interventions.