The Effect of Two Types of Aerobic Exercise on Static and Dynamic Balance of the Elderly Women

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of two types of aerobic exercises on static and dynamic balance of the elderly women. 36 elderly women (60 to 75 years old) were randomly assigned to three groups: 1) walking or jogging (n=12) 2) exercise in water (n=12) 3) control (n=12). Groups 1 and 2 participated in walking (jogging) and exercise in water program for 8 weeks, 3 session per week. The control group had their own daily activities and did not participate in any special kind of sports during this program. Sharpened Romberg and stick balance tests were used to measure the dynamic and static balance. Analysis covariance test (SPSS21) was used to check research hypotheses and to determine the difference among the groups. The results showed significant differences in posttest scores between experimental and control groups (P˂0.05). The results also showed that the group 1 (walking and jogging) gained more scores in dynamic and static balance than the group 2 (exercise in water). It seems that both types of the aerobic exercises especially walking and jogging are appropriate for decreasing the difficulties of this group and can be used as an exercise program in training centers.

Keywords

• aerobic exercise
• dynamic balance
• elderly
• static balance
• women