Is locomotion training effective for middle‐aged workers?

• Published in: Journal of occupational health Vol. 63; no. 1; pp. e12303 - n/a
• Main Authors: Nishimura, Akinobu, Ohtsuki, Makoto, Kato, Toshihiro, Nagao‐Nishiwaki, Rie, Senga, Yoshiyuki, Kato, Ko, Ogura, Toru, Sudo, Akihiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.2021; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Employees; epidemiology; Exercise; Humans; Legs; Locomotion; locomotion training; locomotive syndrome; Longitudinal Studies; Middle age; Middle Aged; Motor Disorders - prevention & control; Muscle strength; Nursing care; Occupational Health; Older people; Original; Performance tests; Physical Conditioning, Human; Physical fitness; Quadriceps muscle; Questionnaires; Syndrome; Training; Workers; young and middle adulthood; Japan; epidemiology; young and middle adulthood; locomotive syndrome; locomotion training
• ISSN: 1348-9585; 1341-9145; 1348-9585
• DOI: 10.1002/1348-9585.12303

Objectives Locomotion training (LT) consisting of single‐leg standing and squatting was developed to help prevent locomotive syndrome (LS), and is typically used in older people. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of LT on young and middle‐aged people. Methods This study was performed at two companies. Workers in company A engaged in LT five times/week for 1 year, whereas workers in company B did not. Baseline and follow‐up checkups consisted of questionnaires and physical performance tests, including three kinds of locomotion tests. Results In total, 88 and 101 workers in companies A and B, respectively, met the inclusion criteria. LS stage, stand‐up test results, and scores on a geriatric locomotive function scale significantly improved among workers in company A, but only stand‐up test results significantly improved among workers in company B. Quadriceps power increased in company A, but did not change in company B. Especially, workers with LS in company A had more significant changes than those without LS and those in company B. Conclusions The results of this longitudinal study suggest that LT is useful even for young and middle‐aged workers. LT was especially more effective for workers than those without LS.