An 8-week Aquatic Exercise Program is Effective at Improving Gait Stability of the Elderly

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomechanics
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Gait instability is a significant concern for the elderly, increasing fall risk.
• Aquatic exercise offers a low-impact, joint-friendly training modality.
• Dynamic gait parameters like center of mass (COM) and center of pressure (COP) are crucial for stability assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of an 8-week aquatic exercise program on elderly gait stability.
• To analyze changes in dynamic gait factors, including center of mass (COM), velocity of center of mass (COMV), and center of pressure (COP).

Main Methods:

• An 8-week aquatic exercise intervention was implemented.
• Three-dimensional motion analysis using 7 infrared cameras and a force plate was employed.
• Gait stability was assessed using dynamic factors: COM, COMV, and COP.

Main Results:

• Significant reductions in medial inclination angles for COM-COP were observed in posterior and anterior swing phases.
• Medial inclination angles for COMV-COP decreased in both swing phases, with significance noted in the posterior phase.
• Aquatic exercise demonstrated a positive effect on gait stability parameters in the elderly.

Conclusions:

• Eight weeks of aquatic exercise is effective in enhancing gait stability among the elderly.
• Further research with extended training periods may reveal statistically significant effects in the anterior-posterior direction.