THE INTERVENTIONAL EFFECT OF EIGHT WEEKS OF PILATES EXERCISES AND SOYA CONSUMPTION ON KNEE AND ANKLE JOINT PROPRIOCEPTION OF ELDERLY WOMEN

Maintaining balance and preventing falls are important concerns for the elderly. Therefore, the aim of the current research was to study the interventional effect of eight weeks of Pilates exercises and soya consumption on knee and ankle joint proprioception of elderly women.

This semi-experimental and field-based research was done in a pre-test and post-test design. The statistical population was 45 elderly people over 60 years old from Zanjan city, Iran. Simple random and convenient sampling method was used in this research. For this, after announcing the call among the target community, 40 elderly people were selected based on Cochran's formula and divided into four groups: Pilates (10 people), soya (10 people), Pilates + soya (10 people), and control groups (10 people). To compare research groups, one-way analysis of variance and dependent t-test were used at the significance level of P<0.05.

The Pilates group and the soya group were closer to the measuring criteria in knee flexion, dorsiflexion, and plantar flexion. Also, the Pilates + soya group showed significant improvement compared to all three groups (P<0.05).

Knee flexion, dorsiflexion, and ankle plantar flexion movements are among the movements that play central roles in maintaining body balance and preventing from falls and injuries. Therefore, performing pilates exercises with soybeans can improve physical fitness and maintain balance, and in general, ease daily activities.