The effect of 8 weeks of fall-proof exercises on function and fear of falling in Older adults women with knee osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis is a common joint disease that is more common among Older adults and leads to decreased performance and increased fear of falling in affected people. Based on this, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of fall-proof exercises on function and fear of falling in elderly women with knee osteoarthritis.

In the year 2023, a semi-experimental intervention with a pre-test and post-test design was conducted on 25 elderly women aged 60 to 75, all diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis and divided into an experimental group and a control group. All subjects entered the study with complete satisfaction and after filling the consent form.Participants in the experimental group engaged in targeted fall-proof exercises for 8 weeks, three days a week. The control group did not participate in any exercise activities. The WOMAC questionnaire was used to evaluate function and the Fall Efficacy scale-International questionnaire was used to evaluate the subjects' fear of falling.Data analysis was performed using repeated measures analysis in SPSS version 26, with the significance level set at 0.05.

The results showed that the total scores of the WOMAC questionnaire and its three subscales (pain, dryness and function) decreased significantly after the exercise in the experimental group (F1.23 = 7.35, p = 0.01, η = 0.24).While the total scores of the WOMAC questionnaire and its three subscales (pain, stiffness and function) did not differ significantly between the control and experimental groups (F1.23=2.42, p=0.13,). Also, the results showed that the fear of falling scores decreased significantly after performing the exercises in the experimental group (F1.23= 9.52, p = 0.005, η = 0.29). While there was no significant difference between the fear of falling scores between the control and experimental groups (F1.23= 2.37, p=0.13).

The fall-proof exercise program is recommended for coaches aiming to enhance the function and fear of falling in Older adults with knee osteoarthritis. This recommendation is based on its effectiveness. Please cite this article as: Sheikh Shoaei H, Bahiraei S. The effect of 8 weeks of fall-proof exercises on function and fear of falling in Older adults women with knee osteoarthritis. Irtiqa Imini Pishgiri Masdumiyat. 2023;11(3):164-183.https://doi.org/10.22037/iipm.v11i3.44602