1. Ditangquan exercises based on safe-landing strategies prevent falls and injury among older individuals with sarcopenia
- Author
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Zhen-rui Li, Yun-jing Ma, Jie Zhuang, Xun-chen Tao, Chao-yang Guo, Shu-ting Liu, Ran-ran Zhu, Jin-xiang Wang, and Lei Fang
- Subjects
sarcopenia ,safe landing ,modified falls efficacy scale ,traditional Chinese exercise ,fall injury prevention ,Medicine (General) ,R5-920 - Abstract
BackgroundSarcopenia is the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function; it is a risk factor for falls among older individuals. Few studies have focused on training such individuals to adopt a safe-landing strategy that would protect them from fall-related injuries. Ditangquan is a traditional Chinese martial art comprising movements that conform to the principles of safe landing. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Ditangquan in preventing fall-related injuries among older individuals with sarcopenia.MethodsA total of 70 participants (21 males and 49 females with sarcopenia) between 60 and 80 years of age were recruited from three local communities and randomly assigned to the Ditangquan exercise group (DG) or the control group (CG) in a 1:1 ratio. Three times a week for 24 weeks, both the DG and CG received an hour of conventional exercise and an hour of Ditangquan exercise based on safe landing. Primary outcomes were the modified falls efficacy scale (MFES), the number of falls, and fall injuries; the secondary outcome was the Timed Up & Go (TUG) test.ResultsThe DG had significantly fewer falls (1 vs. 8, P = 0.028) and fall injuries (0 vs. 6, P = 0.025) than the CG. Furthermore, at the end of the study, the DG had a significantly improved MFES (mean difference: 32.17 scores; 95% CI: 21.32, 43.02; P
- Published
- 2022
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