• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.391-399
• /
• 2022

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of fall-prevention exercise programs on fall efficacy, depression and health-related quality of life in elderly. Design: a randomized controlled trial Methods: A total of 57 participants over 65-years-old have been allocated to control and experimental groups. The experimental group received 8 weeks of fall-prevention exercises that included strengthening of lower extremities, balance and gait training. They received the exercises twice a week for 50 minutes as a group.Both groups were assessed using Modified Falls Efficacy Scale (MFES), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) prior and post to the intervention. The control group also received the same exercise program after the post evaluation. Results: The experimental group showed overall improvement in MFES, GDS, and physical components of SF-36 (p<0.05). The MFES was significantly increased in the experimental group after the intervention (p<0.05). The GDS was significantly decreased in the experimental group after the intervention (p<0.05). The SF-36, only physical Function, Role limitations due to physical health, general health, and energy and fatigue categories were improved in the experimental group after the intervention (p<0.05). Conclusions: The results showed 8 weeks of fall-prevention exercise programs can increase fall efficacy and physical related quality of life while reducing depression of elderly over 65.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.38 no.1
• /
• pp.11-18
• /
• 2008

Purpose: This study was to determine whether the Sun-style 24 forms of Tai Chi exercise improve pain, stiffness, disability, knee joint motion, mobility, balance or falling. Method: Forty-six community-dwelling elderly subjects (mean age, $75.46{\pm}6.28$) voluntarily participated in an intervention group of either 24 forms of Sun-style T ai Chi for 60 min, 2 times per week for 12 weeks or a control group. A non-equivalent pretest-posttest design was used. Independent t-test and ANCOVA were used to examine group differences by using SPSS12.0. Result: The experimental group had significantly less pain (F=7.60, p=.008) and stiffness (t=-3.19, p=.003) than the control group. Also there were significant improvements in knee joint motion on the right knee (t=2.44, p=.019), left knee (t=2.30, p=.026), rising time (F=8.03, p=.07), balance on the left single leg test (t=2.20, p=.033), and fear of falling (t=-2.33, p=.024) in the Tai Chi exercise group. No significant group differences were found in disability and falls efficacy. Conclusion: The Sun-style 24 forms Tai Chi exercise is effective in decreasing pain, stiffness, fear of falling and it improves balance, rising time, and knee joint motion. We suggest a continuing long term intervention to decrease disability and increase efficacy concerning falls.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.469-482
• /
• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify which nursing interventions are the most effective in fall prevention for hospitalized patients. Methods: From 3,675 papers searched, 34 were selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Number of fallers, falls, falls per 1,000 hospital-days, and injurious falls, fall protection activity, knowledge related to falls, and self-efficacy about falls were evaluated as outcome variables. Data were analyzed using the Comprehensive Meta Analysis (CMA) 2.2 Version program and the effect sizes were shown as the Odd Ratio (OR) and Hedges's g. Results: Overall effect size of nursing interventions for fall prevention was OR=0.64 (95% CI: 0.57~0.73, p <.05) and Hedges's g= - 0.24. The effect sizes (OR) of each intervention ranged from 0.34 to 0.93, and the most effective nursing intervention was the education & environment intervention (OR=0.34, 95% CI: 0.28~0.42, p<.001), followed by education intervention (OR=0.57, 95% CI: 0.50~0.67, p=.001). Subgroup analyses showed that multifaceted interventions (OR=0.76, 95% CI: 0.73~0.79, p<.001) were more effective than unifactorial interventions, and that activities for prevention of falls (OR=0.08, 95% CI: 0.05~0.15, p<.001) showed the largest effect size among outcome variables. Conclusion: Falls in hospitalized patients can be effectively prevented using the nursing interventions identified in this study. These findings provide scientific evidence for developing and using effective nursing interventions to improve the safety of hospitalized patients.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2020

Background: The aim of this study was to conduct an Otago exercise program with total knee replacement patient (TKR) in a clinical setting and ascertain its effects on balance, walking ability and falls efficacy. Methods: The participating subjects were 30 people who had been diagnosed with TKR. They were assigned to two groups (Exp; Otago exercise and general physical therapy, n=15; Con; balance exercise and general physical therapy, n=15), and the exercises were conducted for three sessions per week for four weeks. The main balance outcomes were evaluated using the timed up and go test (TUG), while walking ability was evaluated using the 10m walk test (10MWT), direction change ability was measured using the figure 8 of walk test (F8WT), and the decrease of fear was evaluated using the modified falls efficacy scale (MFES). Results: In the analysis results, the Exp group showed significant increases in TUG, 10MWT, and F8WT within the both groups. There were significant differences in all variables between the Exp group and the Con group at the post-intervention evaluation, but there was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the TUG. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that Otago exercise would be useful to improve balance and walking for TKR patients who want to improve their abilities and activities of daily living.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.1-11
• /
• 2016

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to identify whether virtual reality-based exercise could improve on balance, gait and fall efficacy in patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods : Ten patients with Parkinson's disease were randomly divided into either an experimental or control group. The experimental subjects performed vertual reality-based exercise, whereas the control subjects performed conventional physical therapy for 4 weeks. The balance, gait and fall efficacy of all subjects were assessed by using the Measurement Training and Documentation (MTD) balance system, force platform system, Korean version of Berg Balance scale (K-BBS), 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and Korean version of Fall efficacy scale (K-FES) at pre training and post training. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to analyze change before and after intervention in intra-group. Mann Whitney U test was used to analyze changes of all variables in inter-groups. Results : Subjects in the experimental group showed significant improvements in difference of weight distribution, K-BBS scores, antero-posterior and medio-lateral sway length, ground reaction force (GRF), 6MWT, and step length following training. The changes of difference of weight distribution, K-BBS scores, AP Sway Length, GRF, 6MWT, step length and K-FES scores in the experimental group were significantly more than them of the control group. Conclusion : The result of this study suggest that virtual reality-based exercise training is an intervention to improve on balance, gait, and falls efficacy in patients with Parkinson's disease.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
• /
• v.12 no.5
• /
• pp.39-50
• /
• 2021

In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to find out the effects of convergent "untact" exercise programs on the balance, gait, and falls efficacy of Parkinson's patients. In this study, the PICO were Parkinson's disease, virtual reality program and an e-exercise program intervention, a comparative intervention with the contact interventions applied, and without any interventions applied, outcomes were balance, gait, and fall efficacy. The survey period was between January and February 2021, and five papers were selected and subjected to meta-analysis. Risk of bias, a tool commonly used for randomized control trial studies, was used. Furthermore, RevMan program was used to investigate effect size of untact exercise programs. The result of the meta-analysis showed that the effect size of balance of the untact exercise program group was 1.27 (SMD=1.27; 95% CI 0.72 to 1.83) (Z=4.51, p<0.001), the effect size of fall efficacy was 0.52 (SMD=0.52; 95% CI -0.000 to 1.03) (Z=1.96, p=0.05), and the effect size of gait was -0.40 (SMD=-0.40; 95% CI -1.00 to 0.10)(Z=1.32, p>0.05). A total of 5 literature analysis showed that untact exercise program is more effective in improving balance and falls efficacy than contact exercise program, but no difference in effectiveness was shown on gait.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.430-435
• /
• 2014

Purpose: The objective of this study was a virtual reality-based balance training program effective for improvement in physical function, examined the balance ability and fall efficacy of elderly women with experienced falls, intending to examine the program's usefulness as an exercise program to prevent the recurrence of a fall. Methods: The participants were 30 elderly women aged 65 or older who met the conditions. The participants were randomly assigned to either a balance training group (BT) or a virtual reality-based balance training group (VT) and received the training three times per week, 30 minutes per day, for six weeks. To measure static balance, the Tetrax Portable Multiple System (Tetrax Ltd, Israel) were used. To measure dynamic balance, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and functional reach test (FRT) was used, and regarding fall efficacy, the Korean Fall Efficacy Scale (K-FES) was used. Results: Tetrax significantly improved after the intervention in both the BT group and the VT group (p<0.05). The comparison between the two groups was not significantly. BBS and FRT result significantly improved after the intervention in both the BT and VT groups (p<0.001), while K-FES was significantly ameliorated in the VT group only (p<.05). Comparing the groups, there were more significant changes in the BBS (p<0.05) and FRT (p<0.01) result of the VT group than the BT group. Conclusion: A virtual reality-based balance training program is considered to be usable as an exercise program to prevent recurrence of falls in elderly women.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.49-60
• /
• 2022

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to identify whether gym-ball exercise in standing position was an effective intervention for improving muscle strength, balance, gait, and fall efficacy in stroke patients. Methods : Twenty-four stroke patients were randomized into three groups: experimental group 1 (n=8), experimental group 2 (n=8), and control group (n=8). Experimental groups 1, 2 and the control group performed the gym-ball exercise in standing position, same exercise without a gym-ball, and general physical therapy for 4 weeks, five times a week in 30-minute sessions. Muscle strength, balance, gait, and fall efficacy were assessed using a handheld dynamometer, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the wearable BTS G-WALK® sensor, and the Korean version of the Falls Efficacy Scale (K-FES), before and after training, respectively. Comparisons within and between groups were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, Kruskal Wallis H test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Bonferroni correction was performed when significant differences between groups were identified (p<.017, .05/3). Results : Regarding muscle strength, BBS score, cadence and FES-K were significantly improved after intervention in all three groups. The weight bearing rate, gait speed and step length in experimental group 1 and 2 were significantly improved after the intervention. The stride length in experimental group 1 were significantly improved after the intervention. Experimental group 1 had significantly improved BBS score and stride length after intervention than experimental group 2 and control group. Experimental group 1 and 2 improved muscle strength, weight bearing rate, and FES-K score more than the control group. Experimental group 1 showed significant improvement in cadence, gait speed, and step length after the intervention than control group. Conclusion : This study showed that exercise with gym-ball in standing position can be an effective intervention to improve balance and gait in stroke patients than the same exercise without gym-ball.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.245-254
• /
• 2010

Purpose : The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of falls prevention exercise program(center of gravity control training, multiple sensory training, strategic posture training, ambulation training, muscle strengthening training) to balance and muscular strength in the elderly females. Methods : A total of 30 elderly womens participated in this study. All subjects have participated in exercise program on three times a week for eight weeks. Before and after of exercise program, They have measured about Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), Time Up & Go (TUG), Sit to stand, Fall Efficacy Scale (FES), Quality of Life (QOL). Results : The results of this study were as follows ; 1) There were statistically significant difference in the BBS, POMA, FES, QOL test on within-subject. 2) There were not significant difference in the TUG, Sit to stand test on within-subject. 3) The BBS was correlated with POMA and QOL. The POMA was also correlated with QOL. Conclusion : The result of this study shows that falls prevention exercise program was meaningful increasing of balance ability and quality of life on elderly women

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.15 no.8
• /
• pp.5186-5194
• /
• 2014

Falls are one of the most serious problem that threatens the health of the elderly. This study was conducted twice a week for six weeks from May to June 2014 to evaluate the effectiveness of fall prevention exercises for rural seniors. This study analyzed the effects by comparing before and after exercise on the TUG, FRT, BBS, ADL, fear of falls, fall efficacy, and depression. The results of this study was as follows: Hypothesis1, "a TUG of post-test will improve more than the pre-test", was supported. Hypothesis3, "BBS of the post-test would improve more than the pre-test" was supported. In addition, the FRT, ADL, fear of fall, fall efficacy, and depression of post-test would improve more than the pre-test. Accordingly this study showed that fall prevention exercises are effective in improving the physical function (TUG, FRT, BBS, and ADL) and emotional function (fear of fall, fall efficacy, and depression) in rural seniors.