TY - JOUR ID - 99705 TI - Would static-stretching exercises acutely affect the gait parameters in the older adults or not? JO - International Journal of Biomedicine and Public Health JA - IJBMPH LA - en SN - AU - Ebrahimipour, Ehsan AU - Sabet, Fereshteh AU - Beyranvand, Ramin AD - Department of Biomechanics, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran AD - Department of Sports Injuries and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran Y1 - 2019 PY - 2019 VL - 2 IS - 3 SP - 46 EP - 50 KW - Elderly KW - falling KW - Gait KW - Static-Stretching DO - 10.22631/ijbmph.2019.150567.1079 N2 - Introduction:Falling is one of the most important health issues among the elderly that can lead to irreparable injuries. Previous studies suggest that exaggerated hip muscle tightness is a common characteristic of the fallers. The present research aimed to analyze the effects of one stretching session on   the falling risk of older adults. Methods: Fifteen healthy elderly men voluntarily participated in this research. They randomly divided into two control and experimental group with equivalent physical characteristics (n=25 in each group). The participants were excluded if they had problems that may affect their walking ability.  This study was quasi-experimental research. Kinematic gait analysis was executed by motion analysis system previous (PRE) and instantly following (POST) a set of characteristic static-stretching training for the hip flexor muscles on both limbs. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 22. Results:The results of our study demonstrated a significant increase in walking speed and step length (P < 0.05) following one session of static-stretching training. Also, there was a significant decrease in double support time during the stance phase of walking (P < 0.05), proposing developed stability and mobility. The anterior-posterior pelvis tilt was also increased significantly in post-test in comparison with pre-test (P < 0.05). Some of the other gait parameters like toe clearance inhabited unchanged (P > 0.05) and the stable pattern of segmental angular velocities was suggested to analyze the stability of the unaltered gait parameters. Conclusion: The findings propose that stretching training, applied on a systematic basis (e.g. daily exercises), result in gait adaptations which can be considered as indicative of decreased the risk of fall. UR - https://www.ijbmph.com/article_99705.html L1 - https://www.ijbmph.com/article_99705_3a65d4d595e7e75edfa1551bc05e3e0c.pdf ER -