Does a 8-week program based on unstable and reactive exercises influence healthy older women’s motor abilities?,

Aim: The individual autonomy and personal mobility are significantly enhanced by the balance ability. In the literature an open problem is the understanding the walking exercises and one-foot stance exercises effectiveness performed using tools or enviroments/conditions that give unpredictable instability. The aim of this study is verify the effects of motor task through instability tools and through reactive motor task on motor ability in older women. Methods: A sample of 70 elderly women (67,9±5,6 years, 59,6±7,4 kg, 156,1±5,2) participated in the investigation and divided randomly into 2 groups: n=27 were included in the instability training group (IG) while n= 26 were included in the control group (CG). The instability training period lasted 8 weeks (3 sessions/week, total= 24 sessions of about 50 min). Results: The results revealed a significant interaction and main effect of training upon IG vs CG and T0 vs T1 in the Chair stand test (p= 0.006), in the 8-foot-up-and-go test p= 0.000, in the Single Leg Stance test (right and left respectively) p= 0.004 and p= 0.002, in the 3-m Backwards Walk test p= 0.000, in the Arm Curl test p= 0.004 in the Tandem walk test p= 0.000, and in the 2 Minutes Step test p= 0.015. Conclusions: The tools that generate instability and the structuring of an environment that determines sudden disturbances increase the senior over 65 years old balance ability.