| Keywords |
Individualized exercise program; Physical disabilities; Muscle strength; Range of motion; Pilot study |
| Abstract |
The purpose of the study was to develop an individualized exercise program that consider the characteristics of individuals with physical disabilities and to verify the feasibility and safety of the exercise program. The exercise program was developed through literature review, twice experts panel discussions, preliminary interviews, assessments, and a six-week pilot study. The pilot study was a single group study of 12 persons with disabilities (mean age 51.77 years) for 60-minutes supervised exercise once a week and home-based exercise for 6 weeks. Height, weight, waist, thigh circumference, blood pressure, heart rate, muscle strength and range of motion were measured before and after the individualized exercise program. The results were as follows. There were no dropouts or injuries among the participants in the exercise program, and the exercise program conducted in the pilot study had a positive improvement in improving the body composition, strength, and range of motion. After 6 weeks of exercise program, muscle strength and range of motion improved significantly compared to preliminary measurement. Therefore, the individualized exercise program verified the feasibility, safety and effectiveness. |