Effect of Water Immersion and Jet Perturbation on Balance in Older and Younger Adults

Background: Although balance exercises are often performed in shallow pools, the efficacy of this practice is not well understood. Purpose: To quantify the effect of water depth and jet intensity on measures of balance in older and younger adults. Subjects: Sixteen older (age = 62.8 °” 9.56 yrs) and fifteen younger (age = 22.5 °” 1.85 yrs) adults. Methods: Posturography data were collected as participants stood quietly for 90 seconds on land and at various water depths and jet intensities. Results: Main effects \u3c 0.001) and pairwise comparisons revealed that all measurements increased with increasing water depth and jet intensity,with older adults increasing statistically less than younger adults at higher jet intensities. Conclusions: Water immersion to the xiphoid process and water jet intensities at or above 40% seem to be environmental conditions that produce the greatest postural sway