Effects Of 12-Week Elastic Band Resistance Exercise On Gait And Fall Risk In The Oldest-old People

BackgroundChina is currently in a stage of rapid aging,and falling among the elderly is a common health problem.The incidence of falls among the elderly in our country is20.8%,and for those aged over 80,the incidence of falls is as high as 50%.Increasing evidence shows that conducting a fall risk assessment and developing corresponding preventive intervention strategies can effectively prevent falls in the elderly.Currently,domestic and foreign scholars have found that gait is an important risk factor for falls from a multi-level and multi-dimensional comprehensive assessment program,but the correlation and degree of different gait indicators with falls are not yet clear.In addition,research on the impact of physical exercise on falls has many controversies,and the results of different forms,intensities,and frequencies of exercise intervention studies are inconsistent.The quantitative and effective relationship between physical exercise and fall risk needs further exploration.ObjectivesTaking the elderly as the research subject,this study aims to first clarify the relationship between gait and fall risk in the elderly,and to find differences in gait characteristics among elderly people with different fall risks,providing a reliable evaluation direction for predicting falls.Secondly,based on the relationship between gait characteristics and fall risk,a randomized controlled experiment will be designed to further explore the effect of elastic band resistance training on improving gait and whether it also reduces the risk of falls.MethodsPhase 1 recruited 105 elderly individuals from three nursing institutions in Shanghai to test their fall risk and gait.Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between fall risk and gait.One-way ANOVA was used to investigate the differences in gait indicators among elderly people with different fall risks.Phase 2 randomly assigned 58 elderly individuals to an experimental group and a control group in a 1:1 ratio.The experimental group underwent 12 weeks of elastic band resistance training for 40 minutes three times a week,while the control group maintained their original lifestyle.The gait and fall risk indicators of the subjects were tested before and after the intervention.Independent sample t-tests and paired sample t-tests were used to compare the differences in fall risk and gait between the two groups and within each group,respectively.Finally,Pearson correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between changes in various gait indicators and changes in fall risk before and after the intervention in the experimental group.Results(1)The walking speed,step frequency,stride length,stride length/height,step length,step length/height,and swing phase of low-risk elderly individuals were significantly higher than those of middle-high-risk individuals(P<0.05).Step duration time and support phase were significantly lower than those of middle-high-risk individuals(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in each gait indicator among middle-high-risk individuals,and there was no significant difference in step width among low-middle-high-risk individuals.(2)The walking speed,step length,stride length,and fall risk of the elderly are significantly correlated,with fall risk showing a negative correlation with walking speed(r=-0.230,P<0.05),significant negative correlation with step length(r=-0.211,P<0.05),and significant negative correlation with stride length(r=-0.218,P <0.05).(3)After 12 weeks of elastic band training,the gait indicators of the experimental group improved significantly compared to the control group(P<0.05).Compared with the baseline level,the walking speed,step frequency,and stride duration of the experimental group improved significantly(P<0.05).(4)After 12 weeks of elastic band training,the fall risk of the experimental group decreased significantly compared to the control group(P<0.05).The fall risk of the experimental group also decreased significantly compared to the baseline level(P<0.05).(5)There was a moderate negative correlation between the change in walking speed and the change in fall risk(r=-0.632,P<0.001),a high negative correlation between the change in step frequency and the change in fall risk(r=-0.821,P<0.001),and a high positive correlation between the change in stride duration and the change in fall risk(r=0.855,P<0.001)among the elderly.Conclusions(1)Compared with the medium and high fall risk group,the gait of the elderly with low fall risk is better,which is mainly reflected in the increase of step length,stride length,cadence,pace speed and swing phase,and the decrease of stride time and support phase.(2)The faster the walking speed,the longer the step length and stride length,the lower the fall risk among the elderly.(3)A 12-week elastic band resistance training program can improve the gait of the elderly.(4)A 12-week elastic band resistance training program can reduce the risk of falls among the elderly.(5)Looking at the changes in gait and fall risk among elderly people after elastic band exercise intervention,the shorter the step length,the faster the step frequency,and the higher the walking speed of elderly people,the lower their risk of falling.