THE EFFECTS OF FORWARD WALKING VERSUS BACKWARD WALKING ON PAIN LEVEL, STATIC AND DYNAMIC BALANCE AMONG COLLEGIATE ATHLETES WITH KNEE INJURIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37268/mjphm/vol.26/no.1/art.3403Keywords:
Backward Walking, Collegiate athletes, Dynamic Balance, Forward Walking, Knee injury, Static BalanceAbstract
Knee injuries are prevalent among collegiate athletes, necessitating effective rehabilitation strategies to restore function and minimize pain. The study aimed to compare the effects of backward and forward walking on pain levels, static, and dynamic balance in collegiate athletes with knee injuries over a 4-week intervention. Twenty-four collegiate athletes with an age of (M=22.43; SD=1.63 years) and at least 2 months of knee injury participated in the study. They were equally divided into forward walking (Group A) and backward walking (Group B) and were required to walk 3 times a week, with each session lasting 10 minutes. The results revealed that within group, both interventions showed significant pain reduction (forward walking: -22.42%; backward walking: -20.04%), and improvements in standing stork test for balance (forward: 12.87%; backward: 14.31%), anterior dynamic balance (forward: 21.32%; backward: 25.71%), posteromedial dynamic balance (forward: 33.86%; backward: 16.51%), and posterolateral dynamic balance (forward: 22.24%; backward: 26.09%) (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were found between groups (p > 0.05). The results indicate that both interventions are equally effective on improving pain levels and balance among athletes with knee injuries. However, clinicians should consider patient preferences or specific clinical factors when selecting intervention strategies.
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