EFFECT OF OTAGO EXERCISE AND SQUARE STEPPING EXERCISE IN ELDERLY BALANCE

Introduction: A decline in balance due to the ageing process can increase the risk of falls and potential injury in older adults, leading to complications that impact their quality of life. To help maintain balance in the elderly, interventions such as the Otago Exercise Program (OEP) and Square Stepping Exercise (SSE) have been introduced. This study aimed to investigate the effect of OEP compared to SSE on balance in the elderly. Methods: This was a quosi experiment. Thirty-four elderly individuals from an elderly community center were recruited and assigned to group 1 (OEP) (n=17) and group 2 (SSE) (n=17). Participants completed 12 exercise sessions over four weeks. Balance was measured using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Results: After the 4-week intervention, both groups showed signicant improvements in balance (p = 0.000) from pre- to post-test. The post-test results of the two groups also showed a signicant difference (p = 0.044), with the OEP group demonstrating a greater mean improvement (3.17) than the SSE group (1.97). Conclusion: Otago Exercise program is more effective than Square Stepping Exercise in improving balance in the elderly