The effects of balance training and ankle training on the gait of elderly
people who have fallen |
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Authors: | Jung-Hyun Choi Nyeon-Jun Kim |
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Institution: | 1) Department of Physical Therapy, Namseoul University, Republic of Korea;2) Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medical and Health, Pohang College: Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea |
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Abstract: | Purpose] The aim of this study was to examine the effects of balance training and muscle
training around the ankle joints on the gait of elderly people who have experienced a
fall. Subjects] Twenty-six elderly people with a risk of falling and a Berg Balance Scale
score of 37 to 50 points who had experienced a fall in the last year were randomly and
equally assigned to either a balance training group or an ankle training group. The
balance training group received training on a hard floor, training while maintaining
balance on a cushion ball in a standing position, and training while maintaining balance
on an unstable platform in a standing position; the ankle training group received training
to strengthen the muscles around the ankle joints and conducted stretch exercise for the
muscles around the ankle joints. Results] There were significant changes in gait
velocity, step length, and stride length in the balance training group after the
intervention; there were significant changes in gait velocity, cadence, step time, cycle
time, step length, and stride length in the ankle training group after the intervention.
In a between-group comparison, the gait velocity of the balance training group showed a
significant improvement compared with the ankle training group. Conclusion] Both balance
training and ankle joint training are effective in enhancing the gait ability of elderly
people with a risk of falling; in particular, balance training is effective in improving
the gait velocity of elderly people who have experienced a fall compared with ankle joint
training.Key words: Elderly people, Balance training, Ankle training |
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