Line Dancing With Blood Flow Restriction for Balance and Gait of Older Women (In-Person vs Online)

Falls are a leading cause of injury-related hospitalization among older women. Age-related declines in gait speed and postural stability are known risk-factors for falls. While exercise is well-known to help maintain or improve these losses, only 24.4% of older Canadian women are considered physically active. Dance can act as a fun and social way to engage older women in exercise. Line dancing in particular has been shown to improve gait speed, knee extensor strength and endurance; however high doses are needed to achieve gains. Clifford and colleagues found that program lengths of 24 hours are needed to effect change, while Merome and colleagues recommend 3 hours per week. These high training doses may not be feasible for participants or community centres who offer programming. The time to commute to classes, find parking and caregiver roles at home are all cited as barriers to physica