The Effect of Lower Limb Resistance Exercise with Elastic Band on Balance, Walking Speed, and Muscle Strength in Elderly Women

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an 8-week resistance exercise program on balance, walking speed, and muscle strength in elderly women.
 
 Methods: This randomized controlled trial was performed on 50 elderly women aged 60-66 years who were assigned to two groups of experimental and control. The Time Up and Go test, was used to measure dynamic balance, Romberg's test was used to measure static balance, and the 10 Meter Walk Test was used to measure walking speed, and the 30 Second Chair Stand test was used to measure muscle strength. Paired t-test and independent t-test was used for comparing balance time before and after the exercise program.
 
 Results: The mean duration of static balance increased in the experimental group from 21.64 ± 10.98 before exercise to 28.20 ± 13.47 after exercise (p < 0.001). The mean duration of Up and Go Time decreased from 12.88 ± 1.45 seconds before exercise to 10.80 ± 1.80 seconds after exercise (p < 0.001). Ten-meter walking time in the experimental group decreased from 1.15 ± 0.1 seconds before exercise to 1.00 ± 0.11 seconds after exercise (p < 0.001) and muscle strength in the experimental group increased from 7.8 ± 1 before exercise to 9.56 ± 1.71 after exercise (p < 0.001).
 
 Conclusion: Lower limb resistance exercises with elastic band improve static and dynamic balance and also walking speed, which possibly improve muscle strength. It is recommended that these exercises be considered in developing the elderly women's health care programs due to their accessibility, affordability, and reliability.

Pelatihan Aktivitas Fisik Multimodal Sebagai Upaya Peningkatan Keseimbangan Tubuh pada Lansia

“…Prosedur latihan sebagai berikut (Vafaeenasab et al, 2019): 1) Warm up selama 5 menit. Latihan terdiri dari forward leg swing, lateral leg swing, hip circle, knee circle, high knee, stepping sideway, stepping forward, stepping backward dengan bertepuk tangan.…”

“…Peserta memahami dan melakukan latihan di rumah masing-masing secara mandiri. Latihan fisik secara rutin mampu meningkatkan kekuatan otot dan kemampuan fungsional (Vafaeenasab et al, 2019). Kemampuan untuk berjalan dengan jarak yang lebih baik dinilai berasosiasi langsung terhadap ketahanan fisik dan mobilitas (Pellicer et al, 2017).…”

Effectiveness of Elastic Band Exercises on the Functional Fitness of Older Adults in Long-Term Care Facilities

“…Elastic bands are generally made from thin pieces of plastic and are available in a variety of specifications for different training needs. With elastic bands, resistance may be increased or decreased based on the user's muscle strength (Vafaeenasab et al, 2019). Studies have shown elastic band exercises to be low-impact and high-stability activities that improve cardiopulmonary and musculoskeletal function, muscle endurance, flexibility, lower body balance, and quality of life in older adults.…”

“…The benefits of resistance training include building skeletal muscle mass; enhancing muscle strength, flexibility, and dynamic balance; improving walking speed; and reducing age-related losses in muscle strength, muscle mass, and bone density. Resistance training concurrently improves physical functions, including sit-to-stand time, walking endurance and speed, balance, and fall avoidance, which improve quality of life and prolong independent living (Kuo et al, 2016; Mora & Valencia, 2018; Vafaeenasab et al, 2019).…”

“…The average 2- and 4-week postsurgery active/passive knee flexion and quadriceps strength were better in the experimental group than the control group. With regard to healthy, older adult patients, Vafaeenasab et al (2019) evaluated 60 Iranian women aged 60–66 years who performed lower-limb elastic band exercises 3 times per week for 8 weeks, finding significantly improved static and dynamic balance, walking speed, and muscle strength at posttest. Kwon et al (2019) implemented an 8-week elastic-band training intervention on 15 older women from community welfare centers for two 1-hour sessions per week, finding greatly improved skeletal muscle mass and significantly improved walking velocity, grip power, and body functions at posttest.…”