The effect of aquatic training on kinematic walking patterns of elderly women

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of an aquatic training course on the kinematic walking patterns of elderly women. Materials and Methods: Thirty elderly women aged 60–70, who had entry criteria for research, voluntarily entered the study process, of which nine women refused to continue cooperation. Participants were randomly assigned into control (n = 10, 63.2 ± 3.1) and experimental groups (n = 10, average age 64.4 ± 3.3). The exercise program consisted of an 8 week of aquatic protocol, three sessions a week, and each session was performed for 60 min. The h/p/cosmos gait analyzer was used to evaluate the kinematic patterns of walking on the treadmill with the force plate, and the velocity variables (km/h), cadency (steps/min), step length (Cm), and step time (s) were measured in two stages of pretest and posttest. Results: The results suggested that aquatic training had a significant effect on the kinematic patterns of walking (walking speed, cadency, and length of step) in elderly women (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Since walking patterns and walking quality have a significant effect on maintaining balance and functional independence in the elderly populations, any intervention that improves these patterns will have a significant effect on the balance of elderly people. Therefore, water resistance exercises can improve the walking patterns in elderly women.