Wp yw fizjoterapii rozszerzonej o ró ne formy treningu chodu na bie ni ruchomej na sprawno funkcjonaln osób starszych zagro onych upadkiem

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of physiotherapy consisting of various forms of gait training on a treadmill in elderly patients with reduced physical fitness and with balance disorders. The examination group consisted of 9 men and 21 women aged 60-80 years and they were randomly divided into two groups (control and test). The gait exercises on a treadmill were based on walking forward in the control group and on walking backward in the test group. The following tests were employed for the purpose of the research: Tinetti test, Functional Reach Test, Get Up and Go Test. The strength of quadriceps muscles of the knee joints was examined as well. The research results show that backward walking on the treadmill significantly influences balance and physical fitness in elderly people and it may be an effective way of improving balance in the elderly.