Balance board exercise for elderly women aimed at acquisition of fall avoidance capability

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  • バランスボードを用いた女性高齢者向け転倒予防体操の考案
  • バランスボード オ モチイタ ジョセイ コウレイ シャムケケ テントウ ヨボウ タイソウ ノ コウアン

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Abstract

Objective: In the present study, we devised an exercise program (GUT exercise) based on the motor structure of motion for avoidance of falls. The exercise uses an unbalanced board specially designed for the elderly. The feet are made intentionally unstable by tilting, pitching and rolling the board. From an unbalanced posture, a person steps forward or backward. Such movement is undertaken at a steady tempo (70 beats/min) in time to music. Our aim was to acquire basic knowledge of fall evasion movements in elderly women by devising an exercise program with our balance board, and we determined the ability of the subjects to balance by measuring their degree of unease about falling before and after implementation of the program, and compared the differences.<br> Methods: The subjects were 18 elderly women (average age 72.6±4.0 years) who performed exercise training for 5 months (15 sessions). Measurements were done before and after the exercise for a single-foot standing test with the eyes open, Function Reach (FR), Tandem Walk, and Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, as well as investigating the extent of unease about falling.<br> Results:<br> 1)  Balance ability improved significantly after the GUT exercise in the single-foot standing test with the eyes open, FR, and Tandem Walk (p<0.01, p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively).<br> 2)  Considering the degrees of difference before and after implementation of the GUT exercise, we observed significantly favorable correlations for the single-foot standing test with the eyes open, FR, and TUG (p<0.01, p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). The measurements revealed a clear tendency for subjects with lower scores before implementation of the GUT exercise to show higher degrees of improvement afterwards.<br> 3)  The average degree of unease about falling was 10.3±0.6 before the GUT exercise and 10.4±0.9 after the exercise, thus demonstrating that unease about falling remained relatively unchanged.<br> Discussion: In conventional coaching aimed at making the elderly better at avoiding falls, unstable postures should be avoided from a safety viewpoint. In the exercise we have devised, however, the body's center of gravity is made to shake in an unstable situation. Applying this exercise to elderly women seems to have improved their balancing ability without worsening their unease about falling.<br> Conclusion: The significance of reexamining exercise intervention for elderly women has been verified from the viewpoint of acquiring the ability to cope with an unstable situation, while ensuring a sufficient level of safety.<br>

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