THE EFFECT OF 12 WEEKS CIRCUIT-TRAINING ON HEEL CONTACT VELOCITY AND REACTION TIME IN ELDERLY WOMEN

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of circuit-training on heel contact velocity (HCV) during walking and reaction time (RT) in community-dwelling elderly women. Subjects were 20 healthy independent elderly women who participated in circuittraining which consisted of posture control, strength training and walking training for 12 weeks. Study outcomes included gait test, reaction time test, and 30-s chair stand test. RT and HCV were decreased significantly. The times of the 30-s chair stand test was increased significantly after training. These findings suggest that 12 weeks of circuittraining may attenuate the risks of slips and slip-initiated falls during walking in community-dwelling elderly women.