To Study the effect of Mental Practice on one Leg Standing Balance in Elderly Population

Purpose of study is: to compare "effect of only physical practice" with " effect of physical practice and mental practice" in subjects, for activity of one leg standing.

Materials used: table, chair, cassette and record player, stop-watch, newspaper.

Methodology: 80 independently ambulatory subjects (age group 50-70yrs) were randomly selected and divided into 2 intervention groups of 40 each. Task was to stand on the preferred leg with arms by side and one legged balance time was measured. Two sessions (1st & 2nd) of the task, of 5 days each, were given to subjects at a periodic gap of 30 days. Baseline and final measurements of one legged balanced time were compared after a three days practice intervention period. Group I (n=40, 20 male s and 20 females) performed only physical practice in both sessions (1st & 2nd) and Group II, (n=40, 20 males and 20 females) performed only physical practice in 1st session and in 2nd session performed physical practice interspersed with mental practice. Mental Practice involved use of idealized visual and kinesthetic mental images provided to subjects through recorded tape.

Results: Percentage improvement in balance time in both sessions was compared and statistical analysis was done by paired 't' test and 'z' test. All groups showed improvement, but Group II showed the most improvement in 2nd session, of 33.01% in males and 31% in female's resp. ('p' < 0.001). Comparison of percent improvement between Group I and II, showed an increment of 10% in balance time of group II in its 2nd session('p' < 0.001,HS).Thus showing that balance time increased significantly with physical practice interspersed with mental practice.

Conclusion: Our study concludes that Mental Practice along with Physical Practice may hence be an important therapeutic tool to encourage rapid acquisition of a motor skill.