{"title":"Effect of Soft Surface Stepping Exercise on Physical Activity Among Community-Dwelling Elderly: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial.","authors":"Chonticha Kaewjoho, Puttipong Poncumhak, Pacharee Manoy, Suphannika Ladawan, Narongsak Khamnon","doi":"10.5535/arm.240119","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To investigate the effects of modified stepping exercises over six weeks on functional mobility and individual lower extremity muscle strength in community-dwelling older individuals.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This prospective randomized controlled trial design was conducted in thirty-two older adults who completed a modified stepping exercises program (n=16 for soft-surface stepping exercise; n=16 for firm-surface stepping exercise). These exercises were practiced for 50 minutes/day, three days/week, over six weeks. They were assessed for their functional mobility relating to levels of independence at baseline, after 4 weeks, after 6 weeks of intervention, and at 1 month after the last intervention sessions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both groups showed significant improvements in functional mobility, lower extremity muscle strength, and walking speed after 4 and 6 weeks of intervention, as well as at the one-month follow-up. However, the soft-surface stepping exercise group exhibited significantly greater improvements in dynamic balance (p=0.035) and lower extremity muscle strength (p=0.015) compared to the firm-surface stepping exercise group after 6 weeks of intervention. Additionally, the soft-surface group demonstrated superior gains in hip flexor (p=0.041), hip extensor (p=0.047), hip adductor (p=0.026), and hip abductor strength (p=0.046), with these enhancements maintained at the one-month follow-up.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Soft-surface stepping exercise that involves whole-body movements offers a promising alternative to promote independence and safety among community-dwelling older adults. This study underscores the need for future research to evaluate the sustained impact of these benefits post-intervention, particularly during a retention period following the intervention.</p>","PeriodicalId":47738,"journal":{"name":"Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine-ARM","volume":"49 2","pages":"91-103"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12046080/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine-ARM","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.5535/arm.240119","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/4/22 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"REHABILITATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the effects of modified stepping exercises over six weeks on functional mobility and individual lower extremity muscle strength in community-dwelling older individuals.
Methods: This prospective randomized controlled trial design was conducted in thirty-two older adults who completed a modified stepping exercises program (n=16 for soft-surface stepping exercise; n=16 for firm-surface stepping exercise). These exercises were practiced for 50 minutes/day, three days/week, over six weeks. They were assessed for their functional mobility relating to levels of independence at baseline, after 4 weeks, after 6 weeks of intervention, and at 1 month after the last intervention sessions.
Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in functional mobility, lower extremity muscle strength, and walking speed after 4 and 6 weeks of intervention, as well as at the one-month follow-up. However, the soft-surface stepping exercise group exhibited significantly greater improvements in dynamic balance (p=0.035) and lower extremity muscle strength (p=0.015) compared to the firm-surface stepping exercise group after 6 weeks of intervention. Additionally, the soft-surface group demonstrated superior gains in hip flexor (p=0.041), hip extensor (p=0.047), hip adductor (p=0.026), and hip abductor strength (p=0.046), with these enhancements maintained at the one-month follow-up.
Conclusion: Soft-surface stepping exercise that involves whole-body movements offers a promising alternative to promote independence and safety among community-dwelling older adults. This study underscores the need for future research to evaluate the sustained impact of these benefits post-intervention, particularly during a retention period following the intervention.