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Effects of muscular strength exercises in the gait of individuals carriers of Down Syndrome

INTRODUCTION: Individuals with Down syndrome have alterations in the gait due to several factors, including obesity, impaired balance, muscle weakness, hypotonia and ligament laxity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to verify the effects of playful muscular strength exercises in the gait of individuals with Down syndrome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted with 8 individuals with Down syndrome, both genders with mean age of 19.33 (± 2.44) years. The selected individuals were submitted to evaluation of linear variables of gait, through printing the footprints on a runway of kraft paper before and after application of playful strength muscular exercises, during 12 weeks, with a frequency of twice a week. The collected data were entered into tables, calculated the mean and standard deviation and submitted to ANOVA parametric test considering the range of 95% (p ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: The analyzed group presented: step length 48.13 ± 1.84 m in the pre-exercise, 47.75 ± 2.07 m post-exercise, and 49.1 ± 1.29 m in the detraining); stride length 92.49 ± 3.24 m in the pre-exercise, 90,3 ± 6,81 m in the post-exercise, and 96.5 ± 2.39 m in the detraining; stride speed 0,81 ± 0,15 m/s in the pre-exercise, 0.75 ± 0.13 m/s in the post-exercise, and 0.72 ± 0.16 m/s in the detraining, and cadence 66.6 ± 8.33 steps/minute in the pre-exercise, 65.3 ± 9.65 steps/minute in the post-exercise, and 60.4 ± 11.5 steps/minute in the detraining, resulting p ≥ 0.05). CONCLUSION: The found results indicate that playful strength muscle exercises had no effect on gait of these individuals.

Muscle strength; Gait; Down syndrome


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