Massage and mobilization of the feet and ankles in elderly adults: effect on clinical balance performance.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a session of plantar massage and joint mobilization of the feet and ankles on clinical balance performance in elderly people. A randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial was used to examine the immediate effects of manual massage and mobilization of the feet and ankles. Twenty-eight subjects, aged from 65 to 95 years (78.8+/-8.5 years - mean+/-SD) were recruited from community nursing homes. Main outcome measures were the performances in three tests: One Leg Balance (OLB) test, Timed Up and Go (TUG) test and Lateral Reach (LR) test. Results demonstrated a significant improvement after massage and mobilization compared with placebo for the OLB test (1.1+/-1.7s versus 0.4+/-1.2s, p<0.01) and the TUG test (0.9+/-2.6s versus 0.2+/-1.2s, p<0.05). Conversely, performances in the LR test did not improve significantly. These results emphasise the positive impact of a single session of manual therapy applied to the feet and ankles on balance in elderly subjects.
Laboratoire Santé Plasticité Motricité, Université Joseph Fourier-Grenoble 1, Grenoble, France. jvaillant@chu-grenoble.fr
Jacques
J
Vaillant
Audrey
A
Rouland
Pascale
P
Martigné
Renaud
R
Braujou
Michael J
MJ
Nissen
Jean-Louis
JL
Caillat-Miousse
Nicolas
N
Vuillerme
Vincent
V
Nougier
Robert
R
Juvin
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000842:Ankle; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage; D009735:Nursing Homes; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D010919:Placebos; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D010919:Placebos