Albright, S, Ellsworth, A, Kane, E, Holbein-Jenny, MA; Slippery Rock University, Graduate School of Physical Therapy, Slippery Rock, PA USA. CAEAKE@aol.com.

PURPOSE: The body responds to balance disturbances through automatic postural adjustments. If distal musculature is the first to respond to balance, then weakness of these muscles would result in decreased function, gait velocity, and dynamic stability. The purpose was to examine if increased strength of the tibialis anterior and triceps surae muscles affected performance on the following clinical balance measures: Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go Test, and Multidirectional Reach Test. SUBJECTS: Eleven residents between the ages of 65 to 94 from assisted living facilities volunteered. METHODS: Strength of the tibialis anterior and triceps surae were measured using a hand-held dynamometer. Each resident performed the three clinical balance measures to monitor improvements. Participants were introduced to a resistive exercise program to be performed six times a week using Thera-Band for resistance. Testing was performed at the beginning, middle and conclusion of the intervention. ANALYSIS: Paired sample t-tests were used to investigate pre- vs. post-intervention strength and balance differences. Pearson’s correlations were calculated to investigate the relationship between strength and balance. RESULTS: Significant improvements in muscle strength (p<0.005), Berg (p<0.0005), Timed Up and Go (p<0.005), and Multidirectional Reach forward component (0.10<p<0.05) at an alpha of 0.05. Berg demonstrated a –0.845 r-value with triceps surae and a –0.584 value with tibialis anterior. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: A six-week resistive exercise program resulted in increased strength and balance; however balance does not increase linearly with strength. FUNDING SOURCE: The Hygenic Corporation for supply of Thera-BandÒ.

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