Abstracts & Literature Review 3

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The Effects of Hip and Ankle Stretching on Gait Function of Older People

Cory L. Christiansen, PT, PhD Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2008;89:1421-8. Copyright ©2009 The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.

JACO Editorial Reviewer: Anthony Hamm, DC, FACO

Published: September, 2009
Journal of the Academy of Chiropractic Orthopedists
September 2009, Volume 6, Issue 3
Received: 1 August 2009
Accepted: 15 August 2009

The original article copyright belongs to the original publisher. This review is available from: http://www.dcorthoacademy.com ©2009 Hamm and the Academy of Chiropractic Orthopedists. This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

JACO Editorial Summary

• This is a randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of a home-based hip and ankle stretching exercise protocol on gait function in the older population (mean age 72.1 years).
• Passive hip extension, ankle dorsiflexion and freely chosen gait speed measurements were evaluated in both the control and intervention groups.
• The intervention group showed increased hip and ankle range of motion and increased gait speed when compared to the control group.
• From a clinical perspective, this study may prove that a simple home-based stretching and flexibility program may prove helpful as a factor in fall prevention in this age group.