The Gait Training in Different Directions in Elderly Individuals

The Effects of Gait Training in Different Directions on Balance, Fear of Falling, and Lower Extremity Performance in Elderly Individuals

Walking ability is important because it relates to independence in daily living activities, but this ability gradually decreases with age. Impairments in walking ability cause falls in geriatric individuals. Falls are the most common cause of injury in old age and can even result in death. Daily living activities involve walking in different directions such as walking forward, backward and sideways. In geriatric individuals, walking backward shows more impairment compared to walking forward. No study examining the effect of sideways walking training in geriatric individuals has been found in the literature.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being 65 years of age or older
• Volunteering to participate in the study
• Being able to speak and understand Turkish

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having any serious neurological, orthopedic, rheumatological, and cardiopulmonary diseases that could cause balance problems.