Aquatic Exercises improves the body composition, Lower Body Strength and Balance among Elderly depressed males

Background: lack of balance and weak lower extremity strength are among main causes for falling in elderly depressed population. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the effect of Aquatic Exercises on body composition, Lower extremity Body Strength and Balance among elderly depressed males. Methods: This was a prospective randomized clinical study in which the variables were assessed before and after the water based exercise. 41 elderly male depressed persons (screened by Beck depression scale) were measured using Timed Chair-Stand Test, The Timed Up and Down Stair Test, and The One-Leg Standing Test. Body composition variables including Percent Body Fat (PBF), Muscle Mass (MM), visceral fat (VF) and also Fat free mass (FFM) were measured using body composition analyzer. The subjects were randomly assigned into two groups: aquatic exercise group, and control group. The exercise groups underwent an aquatic exercise program that consisted of 60-minute sessions twice a week for 12 weeks. Independent t- test was used to analyze the data. Results: Hydrotherapy training improved PBF (P=0.011), MM (P=0.03), VF (P=0.04) and also FFM (P=0.01). The exercise protocol significantly improved static, dynamic balance and Lower Body Strength (respectively: p= 0.03, p=0.01, p=0.001). The rate of depression was also improved after exercise intervention (P=0.04). Conclusions: The water-based exercise program not only improved static, dynamic balance and lower body strength, but also body composition variables among elderly depressed persons. Our study concludes that aquatic practice may hence be an important therapeutic tool to improve effective factors of balance in elderly.