Comparative effect of walking meditation and rubber-band exercise on ankle proprioception and balance performance among persons with chronic ankle instability: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Ankle proprioception and balance impairments are usual consequences of chronic ankle instability (CAI). The impairments affect functional and sport activities and can lead to recurrent ankle sprain. Mind-body practice is claimed to improve ankle proprioception and balance. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of walking meditation, a mind-body practice, and compare it with the rubber-band exercise on ankle proprioception and balance among individuals with CAI. STUDY DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Thirty-two participants with CAI aged 20.3 ± 1.8 years were randomized into three groups; 1) walking meditation (WM, n = 10), 2) Rubber-band exercise (RE, n = 11) and 3) control (n = 11). WM and RE were enrolled on a 4-week training regimen (30 min/day, 3 days/week). Before and after the training, ankle proprioception was evaluated by angular error of the ankle reposition test (AEA) at three positions, randomly, i.e., plantarflexion-5°, plantarflexion-10° and dorsiflexion-5°. Balance performance was assessed by the star excursion balance test (SEBT). RESULTS: As adjusted by pre-training baseline, no significant difference in AEA and SEBT was found among three groups. However, after training, only the WM group revealed a significant decrease in AEA at plantarflexion-5° (p = 0.007) and plantarflexion-10° (p = 0.04) compared to the baseline. For SEBT, the WM and RE groups showed significant improvements compared to the baseline in 4 directions each (p < 0.05), while the control group improved only 2 directions (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: WM and RE groups significantly improved SEBT after 4-week training when compared to before training. Additionally, WM group also improved ankle proprioception. Therefore, WM demonstrates feasibility as a promising intervention that could be applied for balance and ankle proprioceptive rehabilitations in persons with CAI.

Effects of Buddhist walking meditation on exercise capacity and quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Buddhist walking meditation (BWM) is widely practiced in many countries. However, there is a lack of evidence relating to its effectiveness for patients with heart failure (HF). PURPOSE: To determine the effects of a six-week BWM program on exercise capacity, quality of life, and hemodynamic response in patients with chronic HF. METHODS: Patients with HF were randomly assigned to a BWM program or an aerobic exercise program. Each group trained at least three times a week during the six-week study period. The outcome measures included exercise capacity (six-minute walk test), disease-specific quality of life (Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire), and hemodynamic response (blood pressure and heart rate) immediately after the six weeks of training. RESULTS: The study enrolled 48 patients with a mean age of 65 years and a New York Heart Association functional class of II and III. At baseline, there were no significant differences in their clinical and demographic characteristics or the outcome measures. Although six patients withdrew, all participants were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. There was no statistically significant increase in the functional capacity of the BWM group; however, there was a significant improvement for the aerobic group. With both groups, there was no significant improvement in quality of life or most hemodynamic responses. CONCLUSIONS: The six-week BWM program did not improve the functional capacity, quality of life, or hemodynamic characteristics of the HF patients, compared with the values of the patients in the aerobic exercise program.

Mindful walking and cognition in older adults: A proof of concept study using in-lab and ambulatory cognitive measures.

Mindfulness practice and walking have been linked individually to sustain cognition in older adults. This early-phase study aimed to establish proof-of-concept by evaluating whether an intervention that integrates light-intensity walking with mindfulness practices shows promising signs of improving cognition in older adults. Participants (N = 25, Mage = 72.4 ± 6.45) were community-dwelling older adults who engaged in a supervised mindful walking program over one month (8 sessions total, 2 sessions per week, 30-minute slow walking containing mindfulness skills). They completed performance-based and subjective ratings of cognitive measures in field before and after two mindful walking bouts using a smartphone app. They also completed in-lab performance-based and self-report cognitive measures at baseline and after the entire program. Controlling for demographics, potential covariates, and time trends, short-term improvements in perceived cognition and processing speed were observed from pre- to post-mindful walking sessions (i.e., 30 min) across multiple ambulatory cognitive measures (Cohen's ds range = 0.46-0.66). Longer-term improvements in processing speed and executive function were observed between baseline and end of the program (i.e., one month) across various performance-based cognitive measures (ds range = 0.43-1.28). No significant changes were observed for other cognitive domains. This early-phase study (Phase IIa) provides preliminary support that mindful walking activity is promising for sustaining cognition in older adults. Our promising findings form the building blocks of evidence needed to advance this intervention to a fully powered randomized controlled trial that examines program efficacy with a comparator. Favorable outcomes will inform the development of this lifestyle behavioral strategy for promoting healthy brain aging in late adulthood.

A pilot study of mindful walking training on physical activity and health outcomes among adults with inadequate activity.

INTRODUCTION: Mindful walking is a meditation practice that combines physical activity and mindfulness practice. Some mindful walking interventions expect four weeks of attendance (as compared with the traditional 8-week models of mindfulness-based interventions, or MBIs), a practice that could make MBIs more accessible to working-age adults. This study examined whether a 4-week mindful walking intervention increased physical activity and improved mental health outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized experiment among adults with inadequate physical activity (N = 38), whereby the intervention group received a four-week, one-hour-per-week mindful walking intervention and the control group received instructions to increase physical activity. Everyone in both groups received a wrist-worn step count device as participation incentive. Physical activity (as measured by the Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity questionnaire, RAPA) and other health outcomes were assessed with online surveys at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and one month after the intervention (T3). Those mental health outcomes included perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), depression (Brief Edinburgh Depression Scale), and Mental Health Inventory (MHI). The primary outcome of device-measured step count was recorded at T1 and T2. Independent two-sample t-tests were used to compare the primary outcomes at T1. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) with a random intercept for each subject were used to compare the two groups on the primary outcomes at all time points. The independent variables in the model included a binary variable for group assignment (intervention vs. control), a 3-level categorical variable for time, and their interaction. Age, gender and race/ethnicity are used as covariates in the model. Estimated changes (either differences or ratios between outcomes at time points T1 and T2/T3) are reported to assess change within groups. RESULTS: Both groups exhibited significant improvements in the RAPA measures of physical activity and depression. However, between-group differences were not statistically significant. There was no within-group or between-group difference on device-measured step count, though both groups yielded an average daily step count close to the recommended level of 8,000 steps per day for older adults. The intervention group exhibited a significant reduction in perceived stress, and this reduction was significantly greater than that of the control group at T2 (p = .025) although the difference was insignificant at T3. No significant difference in MHI was found. DISCUSSION: While these adults with inadequate physical activity increased their physical activity, no significant between-group differences in physical activity were identified. Potential reasons for the lack of significant findings could be due to the ceiling effect (the step count device for everyone in both groups might have encouraged more activity in both groups), limited sample size and low-dose 4-week intervention used in this study. On the other hand, it is encouraging to see that this low-dose, short-duration 4-week intervention (as compared with those popular 8-week MBIs) achieved significantly greater stress reduction among the intervention group than among the control group, even though the between-group difference at one-month follow-up was statistically insignificant. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up are needed to assess the possible benefits of these short-duration mindful walking interventions.

Effects of Reflective Labyrinth Walking Assessed Using a Questionnaire.

Background: Meditation as it is currently known is an ancient practice, which can be traced back to Asian traditions. With the proper technique, a state of physical relaxation and respiratory balance can be reached naturally and spontaneously. This paper considers meditative labyrinth walking to be a unique expression of Dr. Lauren Artress' work, who studied and applied the image of the labyrinth on the floor of the Chartres Cathedral in France. Methods: This study used a qualitative approach. It is a cross-sectional non-randomized study, conducted at an institute for psychotherapies with a sample of 30 participants. Results: 99% of the group reported feeling emotional distress caused by the feeling of a longer walk on the way out, 21% reported feeling the same while walking the path, and 41% at the beginning. The remaining participants felt lost in time and space. Conclusions: This study showed that the practice of labyrinth walking is a physical, emotional, and sensory experience. On the clinical level, correlating this experience to the planning of care seems to be particularly relevant.