Hassan Sadeghi; Seyed Sadredin Shojaedin
Abstract
Background: Exergames (exercise and gaming) or virtual exercises have been reported to improve balance and functional mobility in older adults. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of virtual reality exercise, on the static balance, postural stability, and functional mobility among ...
Read More
Background: Exergames (exercise and gaming) or virtual exercises have been reported to improve balance and functional mobility in older adults. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of virtual reality exercise, on the static balance, postural stability, and functional mobility among older women.Methods: In this quasi-experimental pilot study, 15 older women aged 65 years old and above were divided into control and experimental groups. Our participants were recruited from Gorgan Neighborhood House in Tehran-Iran in June and July 2020. Following the pre-test, the experimental group completed three weeks of virtual training three times per week via Xbox Kinect Software, and the effects were measured after three weeks. The Biodex Balance System was employed to measure the fall risk index and postural stability index. Moreover, Timed Up and Go (TUG) test were used for functional mobility.Results: One-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed a statistically significant difference in post-test between the groups concerning fall risk index in open eye conditions, (p <0.001), fall risk index in close eye conditions (p <0.001), overall stability index (p <0.001), and TUG (p <0.001).Conclusion: This study demonstrated that virtual reality exercise could improve the fall risk index and functional mobility of healthy older women. Consequently, these types of exercise could be recommended as practical exercises for elderlies to be done at home or health care institutions.
Fatemeh Fallahi Farrash; Rahman Sheikhhoseini; Farideh Babakhani
Abstract
Background: Ankle sprain is one of the most common injuries in taekwondo fighters. This study aimed to investigate the effect of eight-week functional training on soft surfaces on the balance and electromyographic activity of the muscles of female taekwondo fighters. Methods: In this randomized field ...
Read More
Background: Ankle sprain is one of the most common injuries in taekwondo fighters. This study aimed to investigate the effect of eight-week functional training on soft surfaces on the balance and electromyographic activity of the muscles of female taekwondo fighters. Methods: In this randomized field trial study conducted in Tehran, we selected 16 female taekwondo athletes and assigned them to experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed functional exercises on soft surfaces for eight weeks and three sessions per week. We collected the electromyography activity of muscles by a 16-Channel wireless Electromyography Model V 4.24 (Bayamed Company, Iran) in the biomechanics laboratory of the Allameh Tabataba’i University. Before and after the functional training protocol, we recorded the electrical activity of tibialis anterior, medial and lateral gastrocnemius, rectus femoris, and biceps femoris muscles of stance leg while performing Dollyo Chagi. We analyzed the data using ANCOVA at a significant level of P≤0.05. Results: Eight-week taekwondo training on soft surfaces was significantly effective in reducing the Center of Pressure displacement (P=0.002 and P=0.045) and standard deviation (P=0.023 and P=0.022) concerning internal-external and anteriorposterior directions, respectively. Moreover, we observed an increase in the electromyographic activity of medial gastrocnemius muscle at 100 ms before foot initial contact (P=0.030). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that functional taekwondo training on soft surfaces was able to increase the balance of athletes and augment the feed-forward electrical activity of medial gastrocnemius muscle. Therefore, it seems that these exercises can be used to prevent ankle injuries in these athletes.
