The effect of 8 Weeks of Pickleball on Balance, Spatio-Temporal Parameters of Gait, and Psychosocial Factors in Older Women

The effect of 8 weeks of pickleball training on balance, spatiotemporal gait parameters, and psychosocial factors in elderly women

This study is a randomized, single-blind clinical trial with parallel groups. Forty participants were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups.

Eligible elderly women who visited the Faculty of Sports Sciences at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. This study was single-blind, and the assessors were unaware of the intervention type.

Inclusion criteria: Age ≥60 years, ability to perform moderate physical activity, no need for assistive devices for walking, ability to participate in training sessions, signed consent form. Exclusion criteria: Severe sensory-motor/visual impairments, pathological diseases, history of lower limb musculoskeletal problems, incomplete screening questionnaires, recent use of painkillers, limb deformities, recent history of falls, inability to perform the programs, participation in parallel studies, neurological/psychiatric disorders (epilepsy, Parkinson’s, MS).

Intervention group:Participants in this group took part in an eight-week pickleball program with 3 sessions of 60 minutes per week, including warm-up, main exercises, and cool-down. The goal of the program was to improve physical activity and balance in elderly women. Control group: Participants in this group did not receive any specific training program and continued with their usual daily activities. Their physical activity was monitored weekly.

Balance, stride length, stride velocity, cadence, double support duration and social capital.

In this study, the random allocation process for assigning participants to experimental and control groups was meticulously designed based on robust methodological principles. Initially, a balanced (1:1) random sequence was generated using **Randomiser.org** software, which employs cryptographic algorithms for random number generation. This sequence was structured in fixed blocks of 8 participants (block randomization), with each block containing 4 allocations to the experimental group and 4 to the control group in a completely random and variable arrangement (e.g., experimental-control-experimental-control-control-experimental-control-experimental). The block size remained concealed from researchers to prevent prediction of allocation sequences. Following eligibility confirmation and completion of initial registration, each participant was automatically assigned the next code in this block sequence without any human intervention. To maintain allocation concealment, the allocation system was designed so that neither research team members nor participants knew group assignments until final registration and allocation were complete. This was implemented through a secure, encrypted online platform that only revealed the random sequence after definitive participant registration. The generated random sequence was verified and certified by an independent statistician uninvolved in study execution. All steps of random sequence generation, allocation execution, and data recording were thoroughly documented for methodological auditability. This sophisticated approach offered several key advantages: (1) it precisely maintained group balance both during and at study completion; (2) the concealed, automated allocation mechanism prevented selection bias and researcher influence; and (3) it ensured equitable chances for all participants to be assigned to either group. Such rigorous randomization design effectively prevented selection bias and confounding factors, significantly enhancing the study's internal validity. Complete randomization documentation, including generated codes, allocation timestamps, and related information, has been archived for future reference and verification.

For blinding the study, the evaluators also had no information about the factors considered by the researcher until the end of the study. For example, regarding the assessment of participants' walking using the motion analysis system, the evaluator was unaware of the analysis of factors such as speed, step length, and double support during testing and merely conducted the test.

All data can be shared after individuals are de-identified.

The data access period will begin immediately after the results are published.

The data will be available to researchers, organizations, and departments related to the pickleball discipline for journals.

To assist in scientific research and advance executive goals with the approach of improving the health of the elderly

Shima Sheikh Bahaie sh18.shima@gmail.com

Requests for data review will be responded to within one week.