Effects of an 8-week pickleball intervention on dual-task gait performance and inter-joint coordination in pre-frail older adults

作者：Ziwei Zeng, Xiaomei Hu (830022), Cindy Hui-Ping Sit, Yijian Yang · 发表于：Experimental Gerontology · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1016/j.exger.2026.113154 · 研究领域：Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention、Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Robotics、Motor Control and Adaptation

Pre-frailty is a reversible state in older adults that increases fall risk. Open-skill, sport-based exercise may improve neuromotor control performance required for safe ambulation under attention-demanding (dual-task) conditions. We examined whether an eight-week supervised pickleball program improved dual-task walking performance and lower-limb inter-joint coordination in pre-frail older adults. In this randomized controlled trial, 61 community-dwelling pre-frail older adults (median age 67) were assigned to a supervised pickleball group ( n = 29; twice weekly) or a control group ( n = 32). Instrumented gait assessment during single-task, motoric dual-task (MDT), and cognitive dual-task (CDT) walking was conducted at baseline and post-intervention. We extracted cadence and stride length to calculate their dual-task costs, stepping strategy ratios, and hip–knee–ankle coordination patterns and variability via vector coding. Data were analysed using mixed-model ANCOVAs (Group-by-Time) adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and fall history. No significant Group-by-Time interactions were found for spatiotemporal parameters or stepping strategy ( p ≥ 0.100). The pickleball group showed improved inter-joint coordination: significant interactions for hip–ankle in-phase pattern (MDT: F = 8.405, p = 0.004, ηp 2 = 0.069; CDT: F = 5.407, p = 0.022, ηp 2 = 0.045); and increased knee-ankle anti-phase pattern (F = 3.991, p = 0.048, ηp 2 = 0.034) and hip–knee coordination variability und...