Hande Durva, Shinde Sandeep, Dhumale Akshanda, Kale Harshal Y
Department of Musculoskeletal Sciences, Krishna College of Physiotherapy, Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Karad, IND.
Department of Physiotherapy, Krishna College of Physiotherapy, Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Karad, IND.
Cureus. 2025 Jul 8;17(7):e87571. doi: 10.7759/cureus.87571. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Aquatic therapy has become a valuable rehabilitation method due to water's unique properties, including buoyancy, resistance, hydrostatic pressure, and temperature regulation. The study focuses on musculoskeletal changes associated with menopause, particularly the alterations in muscle strength and functional performance observed in postmenopausal women. It aimed to compare the outcomes of aquatic exercise programs with those of land-based exercises in terms of resistance training, balance, and proprioception.
This study aimed to determine the impact of aquatic resistance training on improving muscular strength, balance, and alignment in the lower extremities in postmenopausal obese women.
This study included a total of 146 participants, who were randomly assigned to two groups: Group A (Control) and Group B (Intervention), with 73 participants in each group initially. Following the exclusion of three participants, the final sample consisted of 71 participants in Group A and 72 in Group B. Over six weeks, participants underwent either land-based or aquatic-based exercise protocols, depending on group allocation. Outcome measures included the Numerical Rating Scale for pain, manual muscle testing (MMT) for strength, and the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) for assessing balance and proprioception.
The findings of this study demonstrated that aquatic-based resistance, balance, and proprioceptive training had a significantly greater impact on correcting ankle-foot malalignments in obese postmenopausal women compared to land-based exercises. Participants in the intervention group (Group B) showed notable improvements across multiple assessment parameters, including the Numerical Pain Rating scale, MMT, and SEBT. The statistical analysis revealed highly significant results (p < 0.0001), indicating that aquatic training was more effective in enhancing strength, balance, and foot alignment than traditional land-based exercises.
The study found that a six-week aquatic training program helped alleviate pain and improved the overall ankle-foot complex performance (strength, balance, and proprioception) in postmenopausal obese women.
由于水具有浮力、阻力、静水压力和温度调节等独特特性，水上疗法已成为一种有价值的康复方法。该研究聚焦于与更年期相关的肌肉骨骼变化，特别是绝经后女性肌肉力量和功能表现的改变。其目的是比较水上运动计划与陆上运动在阻力训练、平衡和本体感觉方面的效果。
本研究旨在确定水上阻力训练对改善绝经后肥胖女性下肢肌肉力量、平衡和对线的影响。
本研究共纳入146名参与者，随机分为两组：A组（对照组）和B组（干预组），每组最初各有73名参与者。排除3名参与者后，最终样本包括A组的71名参与者和B组的72名参与者。在六周的时间里，参与者根据分组接受陆上或水上运动方案。结果测量包括疼痛数字评分量表、力量的徒手肌力测试（MMT）以及用于评估平衡和本体感觉的星形偏移平衡测试（SEBT）。
本研究结果表明，与陆上运动相比，水上阻力、平衡和本体感觉训练对纠正肥胖绝经后女性的踝足对线不良有显著更大的影响。干预组（B组）的参与者在多个评估参数上都有显著改善，包括数字疼痛评分量表、MMT和SEBT。统计分析显示结果高度显著（p < 0.0001），表明水上训练在增强力量、平衡和足部对线方面比传统陆上运动更有效。
该研究发现，为期六周的水上训练计划有助于减轻绝经后肥胖女性的疼痛，并改善整体踝足复合体的表现（力量、平衡和本体感觉）。
