The Effect of Dual Motor-cognitive Task Training on Inter-join Coordination during Walking in Elderly with Balance Impairment

In recent years, the effect of cognitive exercises on improving gait parameters has been studied, but the effects of these exercises on coordination inter-joint of the lower limbs have received less attention. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dual task motor-cognitive training on inter-join coordination during walking in elderly with balance impairment.

30 elderlies with the mean age of 73.8 participated in this study. The elderly's functional balance score (Berg) was lower than 52, and the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) was higher than 23. These individuals were purposefully divided into two groups, the experimental group participated in 24 training sessions after the pre-test and the control group engaged in normal daily activities. To assess the inter-join coordination, the participants had to walk a 12-meter path and the coordination was recorded at the sagittal level in four gait cycle by vector coding. The data were analyzed by repeated measures and one-way ANOVA at the significance level of p < 0.05.

The findings of this study showed that after training, the amount of coupling angle has decreased in most gait cycles. The greatest effect of dual training in the experimental group is in the loading response and push off (p <0.05). Some temporal characteristics of gait, such as walking speed, were also significantly improved by dual task training (p <0.05).

According to the results, it can be concluded that the dual task training had improved the coordination characteristics between the lower limbs joints. This change in coordination with the improvement of some temporal parameters was a sign of increased balance and better posture control in the elderly with balance impairment.