This study aimed to determine if combined exercise intervention improves physical performance and gait joint-kinematics including the joint angle and dynamic range of motion (ROM) related to the risk of falling in communitydwelling elderly women. A 12-week combined exercise intervention program with extra emphasis on balance, muscle strength, and walking ability was designed to improve physical performance and gait. Twenty participants attended approximately two-hour exercise sessions twice weekly for 12 weeks. Participants underwent a physical performance battery, including static balance, sit and reach, whole body reaction time, 10 m obstacle walk, 10 m maximal walk, 30-second chair stand, to determine a physical performance score, and received quantitative gait kinematics measurements at baseline and in 12 weeks. Significant lower extremity strength improvement 13.5% (pϽ.001) was observed, which was accompanied by significant decreases in time of the 10 m obstacle walk (pϽ.05) and whole body reaction time (pϽ.001) in this study. However, no significant differences were seen for static balance and flexibility from baseline. For gait kinematics, in the midswing phase, knee and hip joint angle changed toward flexion (pϽ.01, pϽ.05, respectively). Ankle dynamic ROM significantly increased (pϽ.05) following exercise intervention. The plantar flexion angle of the ankle in the toeoff phase was increased significantly (pϽ.01). However, other gait parameters were not significantly different from baseline. These findings from the present investigation provide evidence of significant improvements in physical performance related to the risk factors of falling and safe gait strategy with a combined exercise intervention program in communitydwelling elderly women. The results suggest this exercise intervention could be an effective approach to ameliorate the risk factors for falls and to promote safer locomotion in elderly community-dwelling women.

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Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) is closely related to breathing behavior during lifting. Abdominal muscles contribute to both IAP development and respiratory function. The purpose of this study was to examine whether spontaneous breath volume and IAP altered with increased isometric lifting effort, and to compare the effect of different abdominal muscle strengths on these parameters. Maximal IAP during the Valsalva maneuver (maxIAP) and maximal isometric trunk flexor strength were measured in 10 highly trained judo athletes (trained) and 11 healthy men (controls). They performed isometric lifting with 0 (rest), 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, and 100% of maximal lifting effort (MLE). Natural inspiratory and expiratory volumes were calculated from air-flow data immediately before and after the start of lifting. IAP, measured using an intra-rectal pressure transducer during lifting, was normalized by maxIAP (%maxIAP). Trained athletes had higher maxIAP and stronger trunk flexor muscles than controls. A significant main effect of lifting effort was found on %maxIAP and respiratory volume. An interaction (lifting effort by group) was found only for %maxIAP. No significant group main effect or interaction was found for respiratory volume. Inspiratory volume increased significantly from tidal volume to above 60 and 45% of MLE in trained athletes and controls, respectively. Expiratory volume decreased significantly from tidal volume at above 30% of MLE in both the groups. These results suggest that spontaneous breath volume and IAP development are coupled with increased lifting effort, and strong abdominal muscles can modify IAP development and inspiratory behavior during lifting.

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The current results indicate that the activity level of QF during a body mass-based squat movement is influenced by its force generation capability. For individuals with a KET/BM less than 1.9 N·m·kg(-1), body mass-based squat movement is considered to be a fairly high-intensity exercise. The breakpoint of 1.9 N·m·kg(-1) may be assumed to be a threshold level of knee extensor strength, which should be maintained for performing the activities of daily living without great difficulty.