Effect of a Water Resistance Combined Training on Balance and Fall Risk in Elderly Women over 60 Years in Tehran

By entering old age, changes occur in the skeletal-muscular, vestibular, sensory-visual, and somatic systems when the physiological systems involved in balance. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of water resistance combined training on balance and fall risk in elderly women over 60 years in Tehran.
This study was a quasi-experimental study. The study population consisted of all elderly women over 60 years in Tehran. Twenty-four women were selected and randomly divided into the experimental and control groups. The training group followed an 8-week aquatic exercise program (three sessions per week) while the control group continued their daily routines. To measure the static balance, the Sharpened Romberg test and to measure the dynamic balance and fall risk the Berg Balance Scale were used. The data were analyzed using the dependent and independent t-test by the SPSS 19 software.
The results showed a significant difference in total mean scores of static and dynamic balance after the training period in the intervention group than the control group (P ≤ 0.05); so that the balance after the training program improved and risk of falling was reduced.
According to the results of this study, water resistance combined training and a comprehensive fitness program in water due to the low risk nature and providing conditions to challenge the neuromuscular system can be helpful to improve balance and reduce the risk of fall in women aged 60-75 years.