| This study examined the effectiveness of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) flexibility training to improve physical function in assisted-living older adults. The study used a two-stage quasi-experimental approach including a 5-week control period in the first stage and a 10-week training period in the second stage. Stages were separated by three assessments pre-control (T1), post-control/pre-training (T2), and post-training (T3).;From a potential pool of 240 older adults (73--94 years of age; average age = 87 years +/- 6.5 years SD), fourteen (2 males; 12 females) volunteered to participate in the study. All participants completed informed consent and medical consent forms prior to participation in the study. Eleven participants completed both stages of the study.;Physical function was assessed by activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), mobility/balance field measures, range of motion (ROM), and isometric strength prior to movement through the range of motion (SROM) of selected joints and muscles used in daily activities. The control period consisted of weekly visits between trainers and participants. Training consisted of warm-up, PNF flexibility chair exercises, and cool-down, beginning with one set of three repetitions, and increasing to three sets of three repetitions by the end of the study.;Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) identified statistically significant differences in sit-to-stand (p < .05), shoulder flexion (p < .05) and ankle flexion (p < .01) ROM, and in hip extension (p < .05), ankle flexion (p < .001) and ankle extension (p < .01) SROM. Univariate tests, with Bonferroni adjusted alpha = .017, identified statistical significance for sit-to-stand (p < .05), shoulder flexion ROM (p < .05), hip extension SROM (p < .05), ankle flexion SROM (p < .001), and ankle extension SROM (p < .005) improved from T1 to T3.;These results indicate that PNF flexibility training can improve isometric strength, flexibility and selected physical function tasks in assisted-living older adults. |
