Efficacy of Balance and Mobility Exercises on Gait Speed and Energy Expenditure in Ageing Adults: A Quasi- Experimental Interventional Clinical Trial

Objective: To determine the effects of balance and mobility exercises on gait speed and energy expenditure (Physiological Cost Index) during walking in aging adults 65 years and older).

Design: A quasi-experimental interventional clinical trial, using pretest-posttest design to test the effect of the intervention on gait-speed and energy expenditure.

Participants: 35 subjects (14 male and 21 female) were recruited using Convenience sampling from a day care centre. The mean age of subjects was 70.03 (S.D=4.71) years; range 65 to 87 years.

Intervention: Subjects participated in a program of structured balance and mobility exercises, sixty minutes per day, five days a week, for six weeks. This was a group based program supervised by a physiotherapist.

Main outcome measures: Gait speed (in meters per minute) and Physiological Cost Index (in beats per meter) during walking on 20 meter walkway.

Results: When the subjects were compared for improvement in gait speed between pre-exercise (46.79±09.96) to post-exercise (51.09±11.16) and Physiological Cost Index (PCI) between pre-exercise (0.36±0.10) to post-exercise (0.27±0.09), a significant difference obtained (p=.001).

Conclusion: The balance and mobility exercise intervention resulted in a significant improvement in gait-speed and reduction in the energy expenditure during walking in healthy ageing adults.