Functional-Strengthening: A Pilot Study on Balance Control Improvement in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Journal Title: Montenegrin Journal of Sports Science and Medicine - Year 2017, Vol 6, Issue 2
Abstract
Adults over the age of 65 have a 1 in 3 chance of falling; in 2012, more than $30 billion was spent on medical costs due to these falls. The division of resistance training and neuromotor training balance improvement interventions has shown to yield low to moderate results. Athletes combine both resistance training and skill development (function) training to improve skilled performance. Older adults may not be performing high-level sports activities, but still require strength, power, and functional fitness levels to perform relatively high-level skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of combining resistance and functional training into functional-strength training on dynamic balance control in moderately active older adults. Eighteen healthy older adults were divided into three groups; functional resistance, standard resistance, and control. All groups met for their intervention twice a week for six weeks. Dynamic balance was assessed using the Fullerton Advanced Balance Scale (0-40). Results of individual paired T-tests showed a significant improvement in balance control in the functional resistance group (t(5) =-3.492, p=.017) and a very large effect size (d=1.33) whereas neither the standard resistance nor control group had a significant reduction in the risk of falls. Manipulating multidimensional, neuromotor function during resistance training exercises is an effective method of applying the overload principle in order to reduce falls risk in moderately active seniors.
Authors and Affiliations
Micah D. Josephson, John G. Williams
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP207152
- DOI 10.26773/mjssm.2017.09.010
- Views 78
- Downloads 0
Comparison of the Anaerobic Power of Brazilian Professional Football Players Grouped by Tactical Position
Football is characterized as a predominately aerobic modality, however, during a match; the most important actions performed by the players are in short duration and high intensity. In addition, this sport presents to ha...
Why Left-handers/footers are overrepresented in some sports?
Left-handers/footers are found with disproportionately more frequency in many interactive sports compared to the general population. In ıorder to point out this issue, we firstly mentioned about handedness in general and...
Effects of Internal, External and Preference of Attentional Focus Feedback Instructions on Learning Soccer “Head Kick”
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different types of feedback on learning soccer “head kick” of female adolescent. Novices performed head kick during two practice days [one week apart) for two weeks...
Comparison of Instep Kicking Between Preferred and Non-Preferred Leg in Young Football Players
This research was aimed at gaining relevant knowledge about important differences with respect to compare accuracy of instep kicking between preferred and non-preferred leg depending on the different intensity (optimal a...
The Brain and Movement: How Physical Activity Affects the Brain
In recent years, many studies have demonstrated the importance of movement for the human body, from the improvement of cardiovascular effi cacy to the enhancement of muscular functions, metabolic balance, and organ syste...