pilates exercise positively affects balance, reaction time, muscle strength, number of falls and

174 Pages·2009·2.85 MB·English

PILATES EXERCISE POSITIVELY AFFECTS BALANCE, REACTION TIME,
MUSCLE STRENGTH, NUMBER OF FALLS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
PARAMETERS IN 65+ YEARS OLD WOMEN

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
OF
MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

BY

GÖNÜL BABAYĠGĠT ĠREZ

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR
THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN
THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORTS

NOVEMBER 2009
Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences

Prof. Dr. Sencer AYATA
Director

I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy.

Doç. Dr. Settar KOCAK
Head of Department

This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate,
in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Prof. Dr. Feza KORKUSUZ
Supervisor

Examining Committee Members

Prof. Dr. Erdal ZORBA (GAZI, PES)
Prof. Dr. Feza KORKUSUZ (METU, PES)
Assist. Prof. Dr. Sadettin KIRAZCI (METU, PES)
Assist.Prof.Dr. YeĢim ÇAPA AYDIN (METU, EDS)
Assist.Prof.Dr. M. Levent ĠNCE (METU, PES
I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and
presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare
that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all
material and results that are not original to this work.

Name, Surname: Gonul Babayigit Irez
Signature:

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ABSTRACT

PILATES EXERCISE POSITIVELY AFFECTS BALANCE, REACTION TIME,
MUSCLE STRENGTH, NUMBER OF FALLS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
PARAMETERS IN 65+ YEARS OLD WOMEN

BABAYIGIT IREZ, Gönül
PhD, Physical Education and Sports
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Feza KORKUSUZ
November 2009, 158 pages

Physical changes such as impairment flexibility, balance, muscle strength and reaction time
occur with aging. Regular lifetime physical activity appears to delay these factors. The
purpose of this study was to determine if 12 weeks Pilates exercise could improve dynamic
balance, reaction time, flexibility, muscle strength, bone density and quality of life in 65+
years old women and to investigate the changes of these parameters in a year follow up.
Thirty out of a hundred women living in a Residential House in Ankara were enrolled in the
study. Participants attended a 12-week series of one-hour Pilates exercise meeting three
times per week. Dynamic balance, flexibility, reaction time, number of falls, muscle
strength, bone mineral density, quality of life and anxiety were measured before and after
exercise. Results showed that flexibility, balance, simple and choice reaction time, muscle
strength, number of falls, quality of life and beck anxiety scores significantly improved in
the exercise group. In addition, after a year of follow up, there were prominent decreases in
simple reaction time and muscle strength, choice reaction time, number of falls and bone
mineral density in control group while there were no evident changes in exercise group.
Furthermore, there were significant relationships of balance with muscle strength, choice
reaction time and anxiety.

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As the result of this study, it can be concluded that Pilates exercise can be efficient for
preventing falls, increasing muscle strength and dynamic balance, flexibility, reaction time
and decreasing anxiety while increasing quality of life. In the long term, Pilates exercise may
have very positive effects on bone mineral density.

Key words: Pilates, Balance, Falls, Reaction Time, Muscle Strength

v
ÖZ

PĠLATES EGZERSĠZĠ, 65 YAġ ÜSTÜ YAġLI KADINLARDA, DENGE,
REAKSĠYON ZAMANI, KAS KUVVETĠ, DÜġME SAYISI VE PSĠKOLOJĠK
PARAMETRELERĠ OLUMLU OLARAK ETKĠLER

BABAYĠGĠT ĠREZ, Gönül
Doktora Tezi, Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Anabilim Dalı
Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Feza KORKUSUZ

Kasım 2009, 158 sayfa

YaĢlılıkla birlikte esneklik, denge, kas kuvveti ve reaksiyon zamanında olumsuz yönde bir
takım değiĢiklikler oluĢur. Yapılan düzenli fiziksel aktiviteler ile birlikte, bu fiziksel
değiĢikliklerde yavaĢlamalar görülür. Bu çalıĢmanın amacı 65 yaĢ üstü yaĢlı kadınlarda,
Pilates egzersizinin dinamik denge, esneklik, kas kuvveti, reaksiyon zamanı, kemik mineral
yogunluğu, düĢme sayısı, yaĢam kalitesi ve anksiyete üzerine etkilerini belirlemek ve bu
parametrelerde 1 yıl sonra oluĢan değiĢiklikleri araĢtırmaktır. ÇalıĢmada, Ankara‘daki bir
huzurevinde ikamet eden yüz katılımcıdan 30 kiĢi rastgele olarak egzersiz grubuna alındı.
Katılımcılar 12 hafta boyunca haftada 3 gun 1 saatlik Pilates egzersiz programına katıldılar.
Dinamik denge, esneklik (otur-eriĢ), reaksiyon zamanı, düĢme sayısı, kas kuvveti, kemik
mineral yoğunluğu, yaĢam kalitesi ve anksiyete parametreleri, Pilates egzersizi öncesi ve
sonrası ölçüldü. Yapılan ölçümler sonunda Egzersiz grubunda dinamik denge, esneklik
(otur-eriĢ), reaksiyon zamanı, düĢme sayısı, kas kuvveti, yasam kalitesi ve anksiyete
değerlerinde istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değiĢiklikler bulundu. Bir yıl sonra tekrarlanan ölçüm
sonuçlarına göre ise; kontrol grubunda reaksiyon zamanı, kas kuvveti, düĢme sayısı ve kemik
mineral yoğunluğu değerlerinde negatif yönde dikkat çeken değiĢiklikler görülürken egzersiz
grubunda bu değiĢikliklerin daha az olduğu görüldü. Bununla birlikte, denge ile kas kuvveti,
seçmeli reaksiyon zamanı ve anksiyete arasında bir iliĢki bulundu. Bu çalıĢmanın sonuçlarına
göre, Pilates egzersizinin yaĢlı kadınlarda, düsme sayısını azalttıgını, kas kuvvetini arttırdığını,
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dinamik denge ve esnekliği artttırdığını ve bununla birlikte anksiyete düzeyini düĢürürken,
yaĢam kalitesini artırdığı sonucuna varılabilir. Uzun vadede, Pilates egzersizinin kemik
mineral yoğunluğu üzerine pozitif bir etkisi olabileceği söylenebilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Pilates, Denge, Düsme, Reaksiyon Zamanı, Kas Kuvveti

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To My Beloved Husband,
My Parents and Uncles

viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis study was accomplished with the contribution and support of very valuable
people. Thus, I would like to express my greatest appreciation of these people for their
enduring support and assistance.

My gratitude and admiration are for my advisor, Prof.Dr. Feza Korkusuz, for the help and
care I have received from him throughout my graduate work. His patience, perseverance
and knowledge have been always inspiring.

My appreciation is sincere for the wonderful help and support by Prof.Dr.Erdal Zorba,
Asist.Prof.Dr. Sadettin Kirazcı, Asist.Prof.Dr. M.Levent Ince, and Asist.Prof.Dr.YeĢim
Çapa Aydın. They provided me with their expertise in scholarly writing and guidance to my
understanding of research and statistical analyses.

I would like to special thank to Recep Ali Özdemir and Rüya Evin for the help in collecting
data and for the help they rendered to me whenever I needed.

My sincere thank goes also to my husband and to my friends - Kubilay, Deniz, Gülfem,
Rana, and Özgür - and colleagues, who helped me throughout the study. They were there
whenever I needed help, thank you for all. I am also grateful to the wonderful people who
participated in this study.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PLAGIARISM……………………………………………………………………... iii
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………... iv
ÖZ………………………………………………………………………………… vi
DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………. viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………. ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………. x
LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………………… xiv
LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………... xv
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS……………………………………………………… xvi
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………… 1
1.1 Background of the Study………………………………………………… 1
1.2 Significance of the Study………………………………………………….. 3
1.3 Purpose of the Study…………………………………………………….. 4
1.4 Research Questions ……………………………………………………… 4
1.5 Research Hypotheses……………………………………………………. 5
1.6 Delimitations……………………………………………………………. 5
1.7 Limitations………………………………………………………………. 5
1.8 Definiton of Terms……………………………………………………..... 6

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