Stability of kyphosis, strength, and physical performance gains 1 year after a group exercise program in community-dwelling hyperkyphotic older women.

Objective: To determine if subjects maintained improvements in kyphosis, spinal extensor strength, and physical performance 1 year after a 12-week multidimensional group exercise program.

Design: Follow-up data compared with posttest outcome measures.

Setting: Outpatient academic medical center.

Participants: Nineteen of the initial 21 women, ages 65 to 80, with thoracic kyphosis of 50 degrees or greater at the onset of the study completed follow-up testing.

Interventions: Initial intervention included multidimensional group exercise performed 2 times a week for 12 weeks, consisting of spinal extensor strengthening, flexibility exercises, and integrated spinal proprioception training. Subjects exercised independently during the following year.

Main Outcome Measures: Primary measures at the 1-year follow-up were usual and best kyphosis. Secondary measures included spinal extensor strength, modified Physical Performance Test (PPT), and the Jug Test.

Results: Subjects maintained gains at the 1-year follow-up (P>.05). Best kyphosis improved by 3 degrees during the follow-up year (P=.022). There were no significant declines in usual kyphosis (P=.302), spinal extensor strength (P=.999), PPT (P=.087), and the Jug Test (P=.999) at follow-up.

Conclusions: Hyperkyphotic women maintained gains in usual kyphosis, spinal extensor strength, and physical performance 1 year after a group exercise program. Improvement in best kyphosis in the year after the intervention was also observed. Detraining effects may be minimized by multidimensional exercises.