Taekwondo Poomsae practise in slow motion and the balance of healthy older adults: A Pre-Experimental Study.

Abstract

Background and purpose: Poor balance confidence and functional balance can lead to falls in community-dwelling older adults. Exercises utilising slow movements have been shown to improve balance in this population. It is hypothesised that by superimposing the use of slow movements onto Taekwondo Poomsae, there could be similar benefits in improving balance confidence and functional balance in older adults.

Methods: This was a pre - experimental study. Fifteen community-dwelling older adults received 11 weeks of Slow Poomsae (SP) training using a proposed 50-min protocol. Pre- and post-intervention scores of the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Simplified Scale (ABC-S), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), and 'Timed Up and Go' test (TUG) assessments were recorded and compared.

Results: Fifteen eligible participants with mean and standard deviation (SD) of age 73.8 (6.05) years completed the study. Significant improvements (p < 0.05) were seen in the pre-post differences between ABC-S, BBS, DGI, and TUG, with median score changes of 15 points (Z = -3.408), 3 points (Z = -3.306), 3 points (Z = -2.852), and 3.5 s (Z = -3.296) respectively.

Conclusion: The preliminary findings support the efficacy of SP as a potential balance training programme that is safe for healthy older adults to improve their balance confidence and functional balance. More research is required on this topic that leans towards a large population blinded randomised controlled trial with a longer intervention period and inclusion of a follow-up to further elucidate the effects of long-term practice and novelty of SP.