The effect of aquatic exercise on balance and gait characteristics of healthy elderly inactive men

Introduction: Aging process brings about various complications, which affect different aspects of elderly life. The purpose of this study was to study the effect of aquatic exercise on the balance and gait of healthy elderly inactive males.Materials and Methods: 30 healthy but physically inactive male volunteers, whose age were over 65 years and who had not participated in any exercise program before the initiation of the present study, were randomly assigned into experimental (mean age: 68.53 ± 1.98 years; mean weight: 69.45 ± 2.19 kg; mean height: 168.46 ± 3.08 cm) and control (mean age: 68.66 ± 2.78 years; mean weight: 72.60 ± 3.13 kg; mean height: 170.53 ± 3.14 cm) groups. The experimental group participated in a 6-week exercise program consisting of 3 sessions per week, each last for 60 minutes. Each exercise session included three main phases: a warm up, main exercise program and a cool down. The Sharpened Romberg Test, Star Excursion Balance Test and timed Up and Go were used to measure changes in balance and gait of subjects before the initiation and after the termination of the program. Obtained data were statistically analyzed via ANOVA and mixed multivariate of variance using SPSS software version 16. Significance level was set at P = 0.05.Results: No significant differences observed between pretest and post test scores in the control group (P ≥ 0/05). Significant improvements observed in balance and gait characteristics of the experimental group (P ≤ 0/05).Conclusion: The aquatic exercise program employed in this study resulted in considerable improvements in static and dynamic balance and gait abilities and also in the velocity of healthy elderly inactive men.Keywords: Aquatic exercise, Balance, gait, Healthy elderly inactive men