Toyoaki Watanabe, OTR, Master, Hirofumi Hirowatari, OTR, Master, Yoshiyuki Tokura, OTR, Master, Kazuya Takeda, OTR, Master, Hideaki Hanaoka, OTR, Doctor
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 15: 34-41, 2024
Purpose: This study examined the effects of a 30-day
kendama program on physical and cognitive functions
and the practicality of the program for communitydwelling
elderly individuals to reduce the risk of
dementia and musculoskeletal disorders.
Method: Seventeen community-dwelling elderly
persons aged ≥65 years participated in a 30-day
kendama program wherein they practiced kendama in
groups once a week for a total of four times and
individually for at least 20 minutes a day for 30 days.
The frequency and duration of the group and individual
practices were surveyed to assess the practicality of
the program.
Results: The physical function assessment revealed that
knee extension muscle strength increased significantly by
18.8% after the intervention (p < 0.01). Further, the
cognitive function assessment showed that the time
required to perform the Stroop test decreased by 10.1%,
the number of Symbol Digit Modalities Tests (SDMTs)
performed increased by 5.6%, and the number of correct
answers in the word memory test increased by 17.8%
after the intervention, with each showing a significant
change (p < 0.05). The results of the questionnaire on the
participants' 30-day kendama program showed that
approximately 30% answered that the frequency of
individual practice was "a little too much," indicating
that the program needed to be modified.
Conclusion: The results of this study suggested that
kendama can be enjoyed easily and is expected to
be practiced continuously with friends. Therefore,
kendama can serve as an exercise program for reducing
the risk of dementia and musculoskeletal disorders. In
the future, it will be necessary to reconsider the
frequency of individual kendama practice.
Key words: physical function, cognitive function, community-dwelling elderly, kendama