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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2012 Feb 15:9:15.
doi: 10.1186/1743-0003-9-15.

Lower limb control and mobility following exercise training

Sukwon Kim  1 , Thurmon Lockhart
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Lower limb control and mobility following exercise training

Sukwon Kim et al. J Neuroeng Rehabil. .

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of 8-week balance or weight training on ankle joint stiffness and limb stability for older adults, furthermore, on outcomes of slips while walking. Eighteen older adults volunteered for the study and randomly were assigned to the three groups, such as, weight, balance, or control group. While walking on a walking track, three-dimensional posture data were sampled and ankle joint stiffness and limb stability were computed to evaluate the effects of training. 2 (pre and post) × 3 (weight, balance, and control) × 2 (dominant and non-dominant legs) mixed factor repeated ANOVA was performed. The results indicated that only balance training group showed an improvement in joint stiffness and both the training groups showed improvements in limb stability. Also, fall frequency results suggested that joint stiffness and limb stability had an effect on the likelihood of slip-induced falls. In conclusion, training can facilitate improvements in joint and limb control mechanism for older adults contributing to an improvement in the likelihood of slip-induced falls.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Field layout of the experimental set-up including; Fall Arresting System, Infra-red cameras (6), Two force plate (F1 and F2), and workstations. X, Y, and Z = global references for force and position.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Illustration of Factor Analysis in Limb Stability.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Two-way interaction plot of Time × Group in Joint Stiffness.
Figure 4
Figure 4
ANOVA comparison of Limb Stability by Leg.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Two-way interaction plot of Time × Group in Limb Stability.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Correlation plot of Limb Stability by Joint Stiffness.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Correlation plot of Limb Stability by Joint Stiffness.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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