Background Regular exercise in the elderly is essential for healthy aging and has a profound relationship with mental health. Aim In this study, the relationship between exercise status by age group and health, health behaviors, and health perceptions of the elderly were investigated. Methods This study included 641 elderly men aged 65 to 80 years who participated in the 2018 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants were divided into exercise and non-exercise groups by age (65–69 years, 70–74 years, 75–80 years). The exercise group engaged in ≥ 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, 75 minutes of high-intensity physical activity, or a mixture of moderate-intensity and high-intensity physical activity (1 min of high-intensity equals 2 minutes of moderate-intensity) per week. It was selected as the elderly in practice. The smoking rate, alcohol consumption rate, nutritional intake, sedentary lifestyle time, uncomfortable days in the past 2 weeks, outpatient use frequency, weekdays and weekend sleep time, blood pressure, resting heart rate, and blood analysis results were analyzed according to exercise status and age group. An independent t-test was conducted to determine the differences in components, activity restriction (activity restriction, discomfort for the last 2 weeks), daily stress perception, subjective health status, quality of life (QoL), health check-up rate, subjective figure recognition, and disease incidence rate (obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia) and then cross-analyzed to determine whether there was a relationship with exercise. Results The results of this study showed that the aerobic exercises recommended by the American College of Sports Medicines had a positive relationship with the smoking rate, nutrition (energy intake, protein intake, dietary fiber intake), activity restrictions, QoL (exercise ability, daily activities, anxiety/depression), and hemodynamic variables (hemoglobin A1c) of the elderly, and it confirmed that the differences in health benefits between the exercise and non-exercise groups increased with age. Conclusion It was confirmed that the amount of exercise recommended by ACSM is an appropriate amount of exercise for elderly people

Individualized exercise therapy is crucial for effective postoperative rehabilitation. However, a widely accepted, standardized framework for measuring individual exercise capabilities after lumbar spine surgery (LSS) is lacking. This study aimed to develop a novel Exercise Rehabilitation Functional Group (ERFG) classification system to enable systematic, individualized rehabilitation after LSS. Eight exercise parameters and two clinical factors were assessed in 428 volunteers within 12 weeks of single-segment LSS to establish reference data for the ERFG. The study cohort included 411 participants (mean age 67.10 ± 11.60; 128 males and 283 females) with an average postoperative interval of 42.96 ± 20.25 days. Key metrics included lumbar spine ROM (mean 74.24 ± 25.30°), trunk muscle strength (mean 15.71 ± 5.14 kg), trunk muscle endurance (mean 95.80 ± 35.66 s), whole-body flexibility (mean 3.30 ± 10.65 cm), cardiopulmonary capability (mean 433.91 ± 118.75 m), gait with affected single leg (mean 36.26 ± 5.98%), single-leg balance (median 13.60 s), coordination capability (mean 8.21 ± 3.23 s), EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level score (mean 9.39 ± 4.17), and visual analog scale for low back pain (mean 3.78 ± 2.55). Data were categorized into five grades using Cajori’s five-grade mathematical method. Significant correlations were observed between the eight exercise parameters and two clinical factors. This study established a foundational framework for standardizing baseline exercise capabilities after LSS. This ERFG system may provide a basis for individualized rehabilitation strategies to enhance patient outcomes.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 12-week closed kinetic chain (CKC) and open kinetic chain (OKC) exercise program on muscle strength, balance, range of motion (ROM), gait, knee function, and pain in elderly women following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: Thirty-six elderly women post-TKA were randomly assigned to three groups: a CKC exercise group (n=12), an OKC exercise group (n=12), and a control group (n=12). The intervention groups participated in a 12-week structured exercise program. Outcome measures included knee flexion/extension strength, single-leg standing time, Timed Up and Go (TUG), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), ROM, Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain. Results: All groups showed significant improvements over time in knee extension strength, with the CKC group demonstrating the most pronounced gains (p=0.013). ROM and both static and dynamic balance improved in all groups, with no significant differences between them. Gait performance, measured by 6MWT, increased significantly across all groups, with the CKC group showing the greatest improvement throughout the intervention. No significant group differences were observed in VAS and WOMAC scores. Conclusions: Both CKC and OKC exercises are effective in enhancing lower limb strength, ROM, and balance following TKA in elderly women. CKC exercises appear to be particularly beneficial for improving knee extension strength and gait performance.

Background: Evidence linking fascia-oriented rhythmic movement to executive function and prefrontal hemodynamics in older adults remains limited. This pilot study examined the feasibility and preliminary within-subject associations of a four-week Fascial Circulation Exercise (FCE) program in older Korean women. Methods: Twelve cognitively screened women (74.3 ± 6.7 years) completed supervised FCE for four weeks. Pre–post assessments included body composition, grip strength, isokinetic knee performance, executive tasks (TMT-A/B, CDT), and task-evoked prefrontal activation measured via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (ΔHbO). Paired t-tests with effect sizes were reported. Results: Fat mass decreased (−0.71 kg, p = 0.016; dz = −0.74), whereas body weight and BMI were unchanged. Selective improvements were observed in knee flexor peak torque and extensor endurance (p < 0.05), with no change in grip strength. ΔHbO increased in the orbitofrontal, ventrolateral, and frontopolar regions during executive tasks. Behavioral performance improved in CDT and showed a trend toward improvement in TMT-B. Conclusions: Short-term FCE was feasible and was associated with reduced fat mass, selective neuromuscular gains, and increased task-evoked prefrontal oxygenation. The findings are exploratory and support future randomized controlled trials to determine clinical efficacy.