Effect of Progressive Ankle Weight Tandem Walking Exercise on Dynamic Balance in Older Women

Abstract

Background: Age related declines in muscle strength, proprioception, and neuromuscular function impair dynamic balance and increase fall risk among older women. Tandem Walking Exercise combined with progressive ankle weight resistance may improve postural control, although evidence regarding this combined intervention remains limited.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of Progressive Ankle Weight Tandem Walking Exercise on dynamic balance among community dwelling older women.
Methods: A pre-experimental one group pretest posttest study was conducted among 25 community dwelling older women aged 61–69 years selected using purposive sampling. Of 70 older women, 35 were screened for eligibility, 10 were excluded, and 25 completed a four-week intervention comprising 12 supervised exercise sessions. Dynamic balance was assessed using the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Data were analyzed using the Shapiro Wilk test and paired sample t test with a significance level of 0.05.
Results: TUGT improved from 18.22 ± 0.45 to 16.12 ± 0.45 seconds, with a mean difference of 2.10 seconds (95% CI: 2.07–2.14; p < 0.001). BBS scores increased from 28.00 ± 3.19 to 37.56 ± 3.66 points, with a mean difference of 9.56 points (95% CI: 9.29–9.83; p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Progressive Ankle Weight Tandem Walking Exercise was associated with significant improvements in dynamic balance among community dwelling older women. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the pre-experimental design without a control group. Randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings.