Abstract
[Purpose] This study was carried out to examine the effects of the locomotive syndrome prevention program implemented by our hospital. [Subjects] Thirty-four individuals (3 males and 31 females; mean age, 72.2±6.9 years) who participated in the exercise class held under the program from 2010 to 2011 were enrolled in the study. [Methods] We examined their bodily functions and the self-assessment checklists for locomotion and exercise habit at the beginning of, at the end of, and six months after the class, and made a comparison between the results obtained on the three occasions. The bodily function examinations included tests of grip strength, 10-m fast-paced walk, tandem gait, 30-sec chair-stand (CS-30), timed “up and go” and one-leg stance with their eyes open. The lower limb length to height ratio was calculated in percentage. [Results] A good deal of improvement was observed in all of the bodily functions tested except for the grip strength. The follow-up survey which was taken six years after the class ended showed a significant improvement in the 10-m fastest walk, lower limb length ratio, and CS-30. The average number of locomotion-syndrome-positive items on the locomotion checklist decreased from 2.5 at the beginning of the exercise class to 1.7 at the end of the exercise class, though the difference was not so significant. The number further decreased six months after the class ended. It was also shown that an increasing number of subjects took exercise more frequently. [Conclusion] The abovementioned results suggested that our program was effective in preventing locomotive syndrome.
