Anaerobic Exercises Improve The Balance And Stability Of Young Adults.

Human bodies adjust and control side-to-side motion for safe walking [1]. Mediolateral center of mass velocity (MLCoMv), a measure of mediolateral control, increases when we encounter a new surface, or are exposed to other environmental factors [2]. However, limited research exists on how habitual exercise influences MLCoMv during walking. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of exercise type and gait speed on the MLCoMv during four conditions: overground, tandem, beam, and stepping-stone walking. METHODS: Thirty-four healthy young adults (aerobic = 11, anaerobic = 11, inactive = 12; 20F; age: 21 ± 2 years; height: 172.5 ± 10 cm; mass: 71.4 ± 16.2 kg). Full body marker-based motion capture was used to assess walking patterns for each condition. MLCOMv was calculated using Vicon's Dynamic Plug-in Gait model, which incorporates subject-specific anthropometric measurements for accurate center of mass estimation. Peak MLCOMv was calculated using the highest MLCOMv frame occurred and averaged across each trial. We conducted a generalized linear mixed-effects model (GLMM), using the participants and the conditions as variables that control the model´s variability. Estimated marginal means were calculated to get the contrast. RESULTS: Our GLMM did not reveal significant differences in the speed (χ2 = 0.005, p = 0.94). However, we observed difference in the type of exercises (χ2 = 44.78, p < 0.001). For participants who did aerobic exercise, their MLCoMv increased by least 1.02 and 1.04 times more than the ones who performed anaerobic and inactive, respectively (Z ratio = 7.39 & 5.95, p < 0.001). In inactive participants, it increased by at least 1 time compared to participants who performed anaerobic (Z ratio = 4.45, p < 0.001), indicating a need for more time to stabilize. CONCLUSION: Based on our sample, we observed that participants who performed anaerobic exercises demonstrated slower side-to-side movements. The higher lateral velocities in aerobic exercisers might reflect a more dynamic walking pattern, though further investigation is needed to understand if this represents a training-specific adaptation. [1] Pandy, M. G., Lin, Y., & Kim, H. J. (2010b). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2010.04.010 [2] Chou, L., Kaufman, K. R., Hahn, M. E., & Brey, R. H. (2002b). https://doi.org/10.1016/s0966-6362(02)00067-x