The Effects of Weight‑Bearing Exercise on Postural Control and Fatigue Index of Elderly Males

Functional decline in activities of daily living caused by chronic fatigue and postural control weakness are common symptoms of aging that needed to be considered. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the effects of weight-bearing exercise (WBE) on postural control and Fatigue Index of elderly males.

Fifty-two elderly men of Qazvin City were volunteered to participate in the research and were allocated randomly into the two groups of either WBE (n = 26; 67.3 ± 2.4 years) or control group (n = 26; 68.1 ± 2.9 years). Functional test including maximal tolerance to treadmill walking (MTW) and test of Blood Lactate Acid Concentration (BLA) were considered as Fatigue Index before and after exercise intervention. In addition, good balance test was used to measure postural balance via static and dynamic balance. The exercise group performed (WBE) in a seven consecutive day, lasting 30 min in a session. Independent t-test and paired t-test were used to analyze the data at the significance level of 0.05.

The results suggested that both functional test (MTW [P = 0.003]; BLA [P = 0.02]) and postural control (static balance index [P = 0.001]; dynamic balance indices [P = 0.001]) were significantly improved in exercise group compared to control group.

It appears that WBE would improve the functional performance of daily activities (postural control and fatigue tolerance) in the geriatric population.