A Comparison of the Effects of Water-Based and Land-Based Otago Exercise Programs on Balance Ability, Muscle Strength, Pain, and Fall Risk in Older Adults with Knee Osteoarthritis and Fall Risk.
Keywords:
Otago Exercise Programme, aquatic exercise, fall prevention in older adultsAbstract
This study aimed to compare the effects of the Otago Exercise Programme (OEP) in both land-based and aquatic environments on physical performance in older adults with knee osteoarthritis and a history of falls. A quasi-experimental design was employed with 52 participants divided into two groups: land-based exercise group (n=26) and aquatic exercise group (n=26). The 8-week intervention was implemented, and outcomes were assessed using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSTS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest), and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, and independent t-test.
The results revealed that both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvements in physical performance across most variables after the intervention (p < 0.05). The land-based group showed substantial improvements in all variables, while the aquatic group exhibited significant improvements in FES-I, TUG, FTSTS, WOMAC, and Mini-BESTest, except for BBS, which showed an increasing trend but no statistical significance. Between-group comparisons revealed that the aquatic exercise group demonstrated significantly superior outcomes compared to the land-based group in FTSTS, WOMAC, and Mini-BESTest, while no significant differences were found in FES-I, TUG, and BBS.
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