Increasing Mobility and Balance: The beneficial Effects of Treadling in Elderly Women

Research has demonstrated the benefits of regular physical activity, yet people tend to be less active as they age. Lack of regular activity may impact the aging process by increasing the risk of chronic disease and fall risk. Fitness professionals have striven to find activities that are simple, safe and beneficial for older adults. The two-footed treadle is a novel device that has been demonstrated to increase blood flow in lower extremities, however it is unknown what other therapeutic benefits it may have. The purpose of this project was to determine how regular use of the device impacts measures of agility, walking speed, and balance in women 70-90 years of age. Four women were screened for disqualifying conditions. Baseline measures of the up- and-go test, foursquare step test, timed walk, 60 second treadle count, and the Activity-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC) were obtained. The women then trained for up to 30 minutes, twice a day, five days a week for six weeks. Student technicians supervised all training, and each woman trained with the same treadle. Results revealed improvement from pre- to post-training for most exercises and the women reported their mobility and balance had improved, although these effects were not significant. We concluded that further research with a larger sample is needed, but the treadle may be a viable exercise device for this age group. We would also like to test at least one other training pattern to determine if less frequent exercise would result in similar measureable outcomes