Long-term effects of exercise on the range of motion of aging women

Loss of mobility is important to everyone, particularly the elderly. The purpose of this retrospective, longitudinal study was to determine the long- term (5-year) effects of exercise on the shoulder and hip range of motion of a group of 12 women aged 50-71 years. Shoulder flexion, shoulder extension, shoulder transverse extension, hip flexion, and hip rotation were measured a minimum of five times throughout the 5-year period. A flexometer was used to measure range of motion. The results of the study indicated that range of motion increased significantly (p < 0.05) throughout the study in four of the five measurements. The fifth measurement (shoulder flexion) also improved but not significantly. These data indicate that aging women can improve and/or maintain shoulder and hip range of motion through participation in regular exercise done three times per week for 5 years.