Effect of Application of Repeated Downhill Walking Bouts on Ankle Isokinetic Parameters in Children with Obesity

Abstract

Background. Obesity among children became of high concern. Obesity can affect many health aspects including muscular strength. Downhill walking is a useful intervention to enhance muscular strength, especially in older adults. Objective. The current study’s purpose was to investigate the effect of repeated bouts of downhill walking on ankle isokinetic parameters in children with obesity. Methods. 32 obese male children aged from 8 to 12 years engaged in the study. The children were divided into two groups: the level walking group (LWG) ( $n=16$ ) and the downhill walking group (DWG) ( $n=16$ ). Participants in both groups walked 20 minutes on the treadmill, two sessions per week for 6 weeks, with a speed of 5 km/h, and the treadmill slope used for the DWG was set at –20%. Isokinetic dynamometry (Cybex 6000) was used to analyze the normalized eccentric and concentric torque of both ankle dorsiflexors and plantar flexors of the dominant leg in all participants. Results. The normalized peak torques for eccentric plantar flexion, concentric plantar flexion, eccentric dorsiflexion, and concentric dorsiflexion significantly increased by 38.66%, 23.87%, 38.58%, and 15.51%, respectively, after repeated bouts of downhill walking. Level walking resulted in nonsignificant improvement in the muscular torques. Conclusion. Downhill walking is a beneficial intervention in improving ankle muscular torques of obese children.