earticle

영어

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of physical exercise program implemented on unstable support surface on changes in lower limb muscle activity and gait speed in people with developmental disabilities. Methods: The study included 20 developmentally disabled people, randomly assigned to two groups: the control group and experimental group. The physical exercise program implemented on a stable support surface for control group and an unstable support surface for experimental group. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to compare lower limb muscle activity and gait speed between the groups, revealing significant differences. Results: The muscle activity, there were statistically significant differences before and after the intervention in the anterior tibialis and soleus in both control group and experimental group(p<.05), and in rectus femoris and biceps femoris only in experimental group(p<.05). There were statistically significant differences between groups in rectus femoris (p<.05) and biceps femoris (p<.01). Second, the gait speed, there were statistically significant differences between groups (p<.05), and before and after the intervention only in experimental group(p<.05). Conclusion: Physical exercise programs using unstable support surface can be an effective intervention for improving lower extremity muscle activity and gait speed. These findings suggest that, in the future, this training can serve as an efficient physical exercise program for people with developmental disabilities.