The Rehabilitative Effects of Guided Motor Imagery on Gait and Balance in Older Adults

 5 pages at the link for your doctor to implement.

The Rehabilitative Effects of Guided Motor Imagery on Gait and Balance in Older Adults

Rebecca Matalon

Charity Johansson 

 Corresponding Author:
 Rebecca Matalon, rmatalon2@elon.edu
Citation:
 Matalon, R., Johansson, C. (2021). The Rehabilitative Effects of Guided Motor Imagery on Gait and Balance in Older Adults.
 Academia Letters
, Article 2851.
 https://doi.org/10.20935/AL2851

Falls are a leading cause of injury, disability, nursing home admission, and death amon golder adults (Bohl, Gill, Shumway-Cook, Tinetti). Each year about one-third of community-dwelling adults, 65 years of age or older, fall at least once. Among those aged 80 years or older, the percentage is 50% (Inouye). As a result, identifying costeffective interventions to reduce the risk of falls among older adults continues to be a focus of intense inquiry (Bruce,Matchar)Strengthening exercises, balance training, and gait training are evidence-based interventions used by physical therapists to reduce fall-risk (Matchar). However, the effcacy of motor imagery (MI) has been investigated as another means of improving functional performance.MI is the cognitive practice of a physical skill in the absence of gross motor movement(Fansler, Nakano). Positive results have been reported for more than two decades on theuse of MI to improve several aspects of motor performance in athletes (Driediger, MacIn-tyre, Taktek) and non-athlete adults to improve motor performance (Dickstein, Nakano). Fewstudies have focused on the use of MI in the following conditions: independent of physical practice, in the treatment of gait or balance dysfunctions in older adults without a primary neuromuscular condition (such as stroke or PD) (Deutsch), or in the treatment of gait and balance dysfunctions concurrently.