Research Article

The Postural Balance of Elderly Men is Enhanced by Islamic Prayer

Abstract

Introduction: The Islamic prayer has several components that enhance physical and mental health. The study's aim was to evaluate how prayer impacts balance control.
Materials and methods: Thirty healthy elderly men were split into two groups in the study: One group (n= 15) consisted of people who regularly prayed (WP). Another group of people (n=15) who did not pray (WOP) was matched in various factors with the praying group, such as demographics, lifestyle, physical and psychological abilities, cognitive abilities, and heart rate variability (HRV) indices. The balance indexes were recorded by Biodex in simple and dual task conditions. Mann-whitney and Pearson Chi-square test were used for non-parametric variances, while t-test and ANCOVA were used for parametric variances and balance variables. From 9 to 13 o'clock, the tests were conducted.
Results: ANCOVA analysis showed that the amount of overall, Ant-Post, and Med-Lat balance index in simple and dual task conditions were significantly lower in the WP group than in the WOP group (p<0.05). Age was considered a covariate. The other variables that influence balance control, consisted of demographics, lifestyle, psychological and physical health, and cognitive abilities and change of HRV during tests, did not showed any significant differences between the groups.
Discussion: The Islamic prayer is related to improving balance control in elderly men independently of other effective factors. There is the possibility of using it as a physiotherapy intervention for the elderly.

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Keywords
Islam; Postural balance; Cognition; Health status
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How to Cite
1.
Mirhajian SS, Pirzad Jahromi G, Mirani A, Salari S, Talebian S, Mozaffari H, Hatef B. The Postural Balance of Elderly Men is Enhanced by Islamic Prayer. jmr. 2026;(-).