Alpine Skiing With total knee ArthroPlasty (ASWAP): physical self-concept, pain, and life satisfaction.

Physical self-concept in the elderly is assumed to be structured in terms of different domains and to contribute substantially to life satisfaction. However, little is known about the role of the physical self-concept in older persons that are engaged in physical activity while suffering from typical age-related impairments or chronic diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the structure of physical self-concept in a group of older persons with total knee arthroplasty (TKA), its development throughout a 12-week skiing intervention, and its importance to life satisfaction. Factor analyses of the present data reveal that the physical self-concept consists of four dimensions addressing strength, flexibility/coordination, endurance, and sportiness. One higher order factor extracted by hierarchical factor analyses reflects a global physical self-concept. The 12-week skiing intervention had no substantial impact in terms of an improvement of self-concept. Life satisfaction is best predicted by positive changes in the subjective ratings between pre- and post-test (i.e., global physical self-concept, flexibility and coordination, and perceived sportiness) and not by objective physical performance (isokinetic strength, endurance, or coordination). Results support the assumption that physical self-concept of older people with TKA is only marginally sensitive to a 12-week skiing intervention.

Alpine Skiing With total knee ArthroPlasty (ASWAP): physical activity, knee function, pain, exertion, and well-being.

This study focused on the psychological and quality of life aspects of resuming alpine skiing practice after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in elderly skilled skiers. Two data pools were used in order to analyze psychological states: (a) at the beginning, at the end, and 8 weeks after a 12-week skiing intervention; and (b) concerning diurnal variations of states (i.e., skiing days compared with everyday life during intervention and retention phase). In particular, effects of skiing on amount of physical activity and perceived exertion, perceived pain and knee function, and subjective well-being were analyzed using a control group design. Results reveal that the skiing intervention substantially increases the amount of physical activity by the intervention group (122.30 ± 32.38 min/day), compared with the control group (75.14 ± 21.27 min/day) [F (2, 32) = 8.22, P < 0.01, η(2) = 0.34)]. Additionally, the analyses of psychological states demonstrated that skiing goes along with enhanced well-being and no significant impact on perceived pain, exertion or knee function. In sum, alpine skiing can be recommended for older persons with TKA with respect to well-being, perceived pain and knee function, and perceived exertion.

Does a skiing intervention influence the psycho-social characteristics of the elderly?

The purpose of this study was to assess whether a guided alpine skiing intervention lasting 12 weeks has an impact on psycho-social dimensions, measured by subjective assessments, of individuals who are 60+ years of age. A number of well-established questionnaires were used to measure well-being, life satisfaction, self-concept, health status, depression and self-efficacy. The physical self-concept in the domain "strength" increased significantly in the intervention group from pre- to post-test and remained stable through the retention test, whereas the control group demonstrated nearly no alteration. A similar effect was obtained in life satisfaction for the dimension "friends and relatives." On the contrary, psycho-social aspects of the elderly were not negatively influenced. The subjects of this study had very high pre-test scores that might reflect a ceiling effect which, in turn, can explain the marginal positive impact of the intervention. The findings of this study argue for recommending a guided alpine skiing intervention for individuals who are 60 years of age and older with high values in psycho-social variables.

Effect of a skiing intervention on the psycho-physiological reactivity and recovery in the elderly.

This study determined the effects of a skiing intervention lasting 12 weeks on the psycho-physiological reactivity to and recovery from mental stressors in individuals who are 60+ years of age. In accordance with the cross-stressor hypothesis, it was assumed that a skiing intervention optimizes psycho-physiological pre-conditions for coping with stress. A cognitive task was used to investigate stress-induced changes (reactivity) in the high-frequency (HF) component of the heart rate variability (HRV) and in the skin conductance level (SCL) as well as recovery from this stressor. The intervention group demonstrated a significant increase in maximal oxygen consumption that was not accompanied by alterations in HRV at rest. In comparison with the control group, there was no difference in the alteration of the reactivity and recovery in the HF component and in the SCL after completing the training. The findings indicate that neither the psycho-physiological reactivity nor the recovery was influenced by the skiing intervention. It may be speculated that the intensity of the skiing intervention was too low to induce such adaptations. Therefore, further studies are encouraged to enhance the duration and intensity of the exercises to achieve adaptations of the autonomous nervous system of elderly individuals.

Physical self-concept and physical fitness in elderly individuals.

This investigation examined the relations between physical self-concept and physical fitness (endurance, balance, muscle strength, muscle power) for gaining knowledge about the interrelationship between subjective ratings and objective fitness scores in the elderly in three steps: (1) detecting correlations and changes in time, (2) clarifying the influence of gender, and (3) of a skiing intervention lasting 12 weeks. Physical self-concept was assessed using a modified version of the Physical Self-Concepts (PSK) scales (Stiller et al., 2004) reflecting three first-order factors (endurance, strength, general sportiness) and one second-order factor (global fitness). Objective fitness scores were obtained by VO(2 max), counter movement jump, concentric muscle strength, and static balance. The results reveal that elderly individuals' global physical self and general sportiness are mainly linked to VO(2 max) and concentric muscle strength. Global physical self is predicted by VO(2 max) in females and by physical strength (concentric muscle strength) in males, indicating gender differences. Over time, correlations between subjective ratings and objective fitness scores become stronger in the sense of convergent validity in the skiing intervention group, whereas convergent and divergent validity cannot be supported by data of the control group. In sum, physical self-concept is an important factor in the context of physical intervention programs in the elderly.