The Effects of Different Exercise Intensities on the Static and Dynamic Balance of Older Adults: A randomised Controlled Trial

Abstract

This study aims to find the effectiveness of different exercise intensities (high-, moderate-, and low-intensity) on the dynamic and static balance of elderly women. A single-blinded factorial design study was conducted in healthy older adults (>65 years) in 12 weeks. The authors have assessed the Forward Reach Test (FRT), Lateral Reach Test (LRT), One Leg Stand (OLS), Tandem Stand Test (TST) in 60 healthy older women at a gym centre, Fit House located in Bukit Rimau, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Participants were randomly assigned to a High-Intensity Training (HIT) group; (n=15) (Mean age 69.60 ± 3.68) who performed four exercises [Leg Press (LP), Leg Extension (LE), Leg Curl (LC), and Calf Raises (CR)] at 80 to 90% of One-Repetition Maximum (1RM); Moderate-Intensity Training (MIT) group (n=15) (Mean age 69.27 ± 3.41) performed at 65 to 75% of 1RM; Low- Intensity Training (LIT) group (n=15) (Mean age 69.27 ± 1.94) performed at 50 to 60% of 1 RM; and a Control Group (CG) (n = 15) (Mean age 68.67 ± 2.38) with no training. Data was collected at pre-test, 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks of intervention. 60 participants were analysed and the main effect of time showed a statistically significant difference in the mean of all variables (all p < 0.001), and also there was a statistically significant interaction between intervention and time on all variables (all p < 0.001). Different levels of intensity on only the lower extremities muscles had a significant effect on the dynamic balance and static balance of the elderly population. After four weeks of training HIT, MIT, and LIT illustrated significant improvement in dynamic balance, as well as static balance.