Objective: Balance impairment and decline in quality of life are important challenges of aging. Targeted exercises such as Frankel exercises, by observing the principle of exercise specificity, can be effective in improving balance and quality of life in the elderly by improving motor control. This study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of Frankel exercises with and without task constraint manipulation on balance and quality of life in healthy elderly people aged 65 to 75 years.
Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. 21 elderly people were randomly divided into three groups including Frankel exercises with task constraint manipulation, without task constraint manipulation, and control (7 people in each group). The exercise intervention was implemented for 8 weeks. Balance was assessed using the V-Balance Board device and quality of life was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. The data were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods.
Results: The results showed that the Frankel training group with task constraints manipulation had significant improvements in some balance and quality of life indicators compared to the other two groups (P<0.05). No significant difference was observed between the group without task constraints manipulation and the control group (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Frankel exercises combined with task constraint manipulation can be effective in improving certain components of balance and quality of life in the elderly. This approach can be considered as a useful exercise intervention in fall prevention and health promotion programs in the elderly.