The effects of social isolation due to COVID-19 on the fear of movement, falling, and physical activity in older people.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the interaction between fear of movement, fall risk, and physical activity levels in ageing individuals who experienced social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In this descriptive and cross-sectional study, 254 eligible participants used an online background survey. Individuals' fear of movement was evaluated by the kinesiophobia causes scale, fall risk by the falls efficacy scale, and physical activity levels by the physical activity scale for the ageing. RESULTS: The fear of movement had a significant positive interaction on fall risk (ß = 0.471, R2  = 0.495, p < 0.001). The fall risk had a negative effect on physical activity (ß = -1.686, R2  = 0.161, p < 0.001). The fear of movement and fall risk explained 15.6% of the change in physical activity levels of ageing individuals (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results showed a significant interaction between physical activity levels and fear of movement, with a high fall risk in ageing individuals during the pandemic period.

The COVID-19 pandemic and perceived exercise benefits and barriers: A cross-sectional study on Turkish society perceptions of physical activity.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: With the emergence of a global pandemic, new challenges have arisen. Among them are issues relating to exercising, and perceived benefits of and barriers to exercising, particularly when many people find their opportunities for exercise limited by lockdowns. The aim of this study was to investigate how COVID­19 has affected Turkish society's perceptions of exercise and physical activity levels. METHOD: This descriptive and cross-sectional study of 410 eligible participants used an online demographic background survey, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale. RESULTS: The isolation period affects individuals' physical activity levels, with results indicating minimal activity levels in the general population. Higher levels of physical activity were associated with increases in the perception of exercise benefits and decreases in perceived barriers to exercise. DISCUSSION: Reducing the perception of barriers related to exercise can increase the feasibility and promote both physical and mental health through physical activity.

Effectiveness of ultrasound treatment applied with exercise therapy on patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

The aim of our study was to evaluate effectiveness of ultrasound treatment applied with exercise therapy in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Fifty-two patients, who were diagnosed according to modified New York criteria, were aged 25-60, and have spine pain, were randomly assigned to two groups. Ultrasound (US) and exercise therapy were applied to treatment group (27); placebo US treatment and exercise therapy were applied to control group (25). Patients were evaluated before treatment, at the end of treatment, and 4 weeks after the treatment. Daily and night pain, morning stiffness, patient global assessment (PGA), doctor global assessment (DGA), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) questionnaire, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and ASDAS C-reactive protein (CRP) were used as clinical parameters. In US group, all parameters showed significant improvements at 2 and 6 weeks, in comparison with the baseline. In placebo US group, significant improvement was obtained for all parameters (except tragus-to-wall distance and modified Schober test at 2 weeks and lumbar side flexion and modified Schober test at 6 weeks). Comparison of the groups showed significantly superior results of US group for parameters of BASMI (p < 0.05), tragus-wall distance (p < 0.05), PGA (p < 0.01), and DGA (p < 0.05) at 2 weeks as well as for the parameters of daily pain (p < 0.01), PGA (p < 0.05), DGA (p < 0.01), BASDAI (p < 0.05), ASDAS-CRP (p < 0.05), ASDAS-ESR (p < 0.01), lumbar side flexion (p < 0.01), the modified Schober test (p < 0.01), and ASQoL (p < 0.05) at 6 weeks. Our study showed that ultrasound treatment increases the effect of exercise in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.