The Effect of Multisensory Exercise on Foot Pressure Sensitivity, Balance for the Elderly

Abstract

Objective : The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of multisensory exercise on foot pressure sensitivity and balance for the elderly.Method : The subjects were 17 elderly women (11 for the experimental group and 6 for the control group) with a mean age of 83. The subjects all lived in senior residence centers in Seoul. Multisensory exercise was done twice a week for 40 minutes during a 12 week period. Exercise programs were changed every 3 weeks according to the principal of gradual progress of the exercise. In order to train the vision system subjects were asked to open and close their eyes during exercise. When it came to training the vestibular system, subjects stood and walked on high elastic mats with their bare feet. For the somatasensory system subjects always stood and walked with their bare feet. The sub-Metatarsal Pad Elasticity Acquisition Instrument (MPEAI) was used to measure foot pressure sensitivity. MFT Balance test (V1.7) was used to measure anterior / posterior and medial / lateral directional balance. For the statistical analysis the IBM SPSS 21.0 was used to perform Repeatde measured ANOVA and Wilcoxon ranked test.Results : For the multisensory exercise group Hallux (after 6 weeks, 12 weeks), heel (after 6 weeks) and 2nd Metartarsal 40°(after 6 weeks) pressure sensitivity increased statistically, but the control group didn't change. Also, balance didn't change for the experimental and control group statistically.Conclusion : Exercise with bare feet on a high elastic mat had a partially positive effect on foot sensitivity.