Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 12-week water exercise program on several physical performance variables of older females with arthritis, compared with non-exercising controls. The arthritis group consisted of nineteen older females (age = 64.8 yr.) recruited for a pool arthritis exercise program, while the control group consisted of nine (age = 60.8) non-exercising females with arthritis. Pretest data for each of these subjects was collected prior to participation in the arthritis exercise program and consisted of: age, height, weight, sit and reach, side bend flexibility, shoulder rotation flexibility, arm curls, grip strength, one foot balance, sit to stand and walk, and six minute walk. A one-way ANOVA was used to compare mean pretest and posttest measurements between the two groups, and a significance level of p < .05 was used. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine the significance of the differences between pretest and posttest scores for each group. In comparing the pretest scores, there was no difference in age or height, while weight and BMI were substantially greater in the exercise group. The exercise group had significantly poorer sit to stand and walk scores, and somewhat lower scores on the one foot balance. There were no differences in the remainder of the initial performance scores between the two groups. Comparison of the pretest and posttest scores indicated that grip strength, number of arm curls, and one foot balance improved significantly in the exercise group, while there were no corresponding improvements in the performance of the control group. In conclusion, there were improvements in several aspects of the physical performance of arthritic subjects following a 12-week exercise program, suggesting that strength and balance were specifically improved. Other performance variables related to cardiovascular fitness and flexibility were not found to improve following 12 weeks of this program.
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