Abstract des Autors

The relationship between exercise and a variety of measures of well-being among sedentary elderly populations has been the focus of a plethora of studies. One general finding reported by these studies is that physical activity delays or slows age-related physiological deterioration. Less well documented, however, has been the specific effect of exercise on the mechanics of gait in this population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of moderate exercise on kinematic gait characteristics of twenty-two elderly women and men. Subjects were divided into two groups: A treatment group (N = 12; mean age: 72 yrs), and a control group (N = 10; mean age: 74.4 yrs). Members of the treatment group were involved in an eight week program of supervised, moderate exercise. All subjects were videotaped initially and at a normal self-selected speed. For each subject, an analysis of a full walking cycle (heel strike to hell strike) was performed. Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used to compare kinematic differences among groups and trials (p<.05). There were no significant effects on stride length, hip and knee joint range of motion, center of mass horizontal velocity and vertical displacement and temporal parameters of gait. Significant differences in trunk angle between groups were found, with the treatment group moving towards extension and the controls towards flexion. The findings suggest the possibility that short-term, moderate exercise might invoke positive changes in selected characteristics of gait. However, the duration, intensity, frequency and type of exercise programs required to trigger (positive) effects on gait mechanics in the elderly should be further investigated. Verf.-Referat