TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of an active-assisted stretching program on functional performance in elderly persons
T2 - A pilot study
AU - Stanziano, Damian C.
AU - Roos, Bernard A.
AU - Perry, Arlette C.
AU - Lai, Shenghan
AU - Signorile, Joseph F.
PY - 2009/6/8
Y1 - 2009/6/8
N2 - This study examined the impact of an eight-week active-assisted (AA) stretching program on functionality, mobility, power, and range of motion (ROM) in elderly residents of a residential retirement community. Seventeen volunteers (4 male, 13 female; 88.8 ± 5.36 years) were randomly assigned to an AA or control group. The AA group performed 10 different AA stretches targeting the major joints of the body twice weekly for eight weeks. Controls attended classes requiring limited physical activity. All participants were assessed using four flexibility and six functional tests, one week before and after the eight-week training period. A fully randomized repeated-measures ANCOVA with pretest scores as a covariate was used to detect differences between groups across time. The AA group demonstrated significant increases in ROM for most of the joints evaluated (p < 0.05) and significant increases in all performance measures (p < 0.05). Controls showed no improvements in functional or ROM measures (α = 0.05). Additionally, the AA group showed signifi cantly better performance outcomes across the training period than controls. We conclude that our eight-week flexibility program effectively reduces age-related losses in ROM and improves functional performance in elderly persons with insufficient physical reserves to perform higher-intensity exercises.
AB - This study examined the impact of an eight-week active-assisted (AA) stretching program on functionality, mobility, power, and range of motion (ROM) in elderly residents of a residential retirement community. Seventeen volunteers (4 male, 13 female; 88.8 ± 5.36 years) were randomly assigned to an AA or control group. The AA group performed 10 different AA stretches targeting the major joints of the body twice weekly for eight weeks. Controls attended classes requiring limited physical activity. All participants were assessed using four flexibility and six functional tests, one week before and after the eight-week training period. A fully randomized repeated-measures ANCOVA with pretest scores as a covariate was used to detect differences between groups across time. The AA group demonstrated significant increases in ROM for most of the joints evaluated (p < 0.05) and significant increases in all performance measures (p < 0.05). Controls showed no improvements in functional or ROM measures (α = 0.05). Additionally, the AA group showed signifi cantly better performance outcomes across the training period than controls. We conclude that our eight-week flexibility program effectively reduces age-related losses in ROM and improves functional performance in elderly persons with insufficient physical reserves to perform higher-intensity exercises.
KW - Activities of daily living
KW - Exercise
KW - Functionality
KW - Instrumental activities of daily living
KW - Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation
KW - Quality of life
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=66249121697&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=66249121697&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 19503774
AN - SCOPUS:66249121697
SN - 1176-9092
VL - 4
SP - 115
EP - 120
JO - Clinical interventions in aging
JF - Clinical interventions in aging
IS - 1
ER -