[The Era of 10 Million Elderly]⑧ 'Eounwan' Exercise in Old Age... "Increased Muscle Strength, Disappearance of Arm Numbness and Back Pain"

Exercise for Preventing Falls in Elderly Sarcopenia

"Is this how you put it on?"

At the Naju Senior Welfare Center in Jeollanam-do, an elderly participant following the instructor's guidance on the 'Eounwan' movements said this while pulling the band wrapped around the sole of his right foot. 'Eounwan' is a physical activity program developed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Promotion Institute to prevent sarcopenia and falls among seniors aged 65 and older. The name is a shortened form of 'Eoreusin Geunryeok·Gyunhyeong Undong Wanseong,' which plays on the new term 'Oneul Undong Wanseong (Today’s Exercise Complete).'

When the reporter visited the welfare center on the 3rd of last month, despite the rainy weather, 23 out of 25 students attended, achieving an attendance rate of over 90%. Eounwan’s movements are easy to follow and simple, and unlike yoga or dance, they are not intense, so there was not a single "aigo" (exclamation of pain or discomfort) heard.

On the 3rd of last month, at the Senior Welfare Center in Naju-si, Jeollanam-do, 23 elderly people in their 70s and 80s followed the instructor's guidance to perform the 'Eounwan' movements. Despite the rainy and gloomy weather, the attendance rate exceeded 90%.

According to the 2021 discharge injury statistics from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, about 80% of patients hospitalized due to injuries (harmful outcomes to health caused by intentional or unintentional accidents) are seniors aged 65 and older, with falls accounting for approximately 60.9% of the main injury mechanisms among the elderly. The Korea Health Promotion Institute stated, "Falls are the leading cause of death among seniors aged 65 and above," and emphasized the need for social attention to fall prevention in South Korea, where the elderly population is rapidly increasing.

They explained that muscle mass decreases by about 1% annually due to aging, and to prevent falls in old age caused by musculoskeletal changes, regular exercise to improve muscle strength and balance function is necessary.

Against this backdrop, Eounwan was first drafted last year and piloted at three public health centers in Manan-gu, Anyang, Gyeonggi-do; Ulju-gun, Ulsan; and Naju, Jeollanam-do. The results showed improvements in participants’ relative grip strength, lower limb strength, flexibility, and cardiopulmonary endurance. The overall satisfaction score of pilot participants (covering program ease, interest and engagement, health habit improvement, willingness to continue participation, and intention to recommend to acquaintances) averaged 97.6 points.

Among these, Naju City signed a business agreement this year with the Naju Physical Fitness Certification Center, Naju Senior Welfare Center, and Naju Public Health Center to expand the Eounwan program. While 20 participants were selected for a 12-week pilot last year, this year the program has been expanded to three sessions with 25 participants each. The first session ends on the 26th of this month, and recruitment for the second session is underway, with inquiries already pouring in.

Lee Yeon-ok, team leader of the Health Promotion Division in Naju City, explained, "Considering the characteristics of the local population and the risk of complications from falls, we decided to continue strength training exercises to prevent falls among seniors," adding, "The program has greatly helped improve seniors’ muscle strength, and satisfaction is very high."

Elderly participants in the Eounwan program are seen wearing bands on their legs and performing strength training exercises.

Strength and balance of last year’s pilot participants were found to have actually improved. Eounwan consists of a basic adaptation exercise phase (2 weeks) and three types of exercises (each 10 weeks): exercises using a chair, paired exercises, and standing exercises. Each session lasts about 50 minutes, and practicing at least twice a week is recommended. Simple equipment such as armless, wheel-less chairs, a 10-meter rope, rubber bands, and water bottles are sufficient. Exercise types include chair-based exercises, paired exercises, and standing exercises. On this day, participants performed an exercise where they wore bands on both arms, stretched their hands above their heads, and rotated them outward. Although it looks easy, the elasticity of the bands and the direction of rotation require concentration.

Oh Jin-pil, exercise prescription specialist at Dongshin University’s National Fitness 100 Naju Physical Fitness Certification Center, explained, "The program targets not only physical activity but also brain nerves," calling it "neuro training-enhanced exercise." Neuro training combines neuroscience with physical exercise, improving both muscle strength and balance. The exercise effects are noticeable. According to the Naju Public Health Center, participants’ muscle function increased from 23.65% to 25.12% in the upper limbs and from 13.28 repetitions to 14.9 repetitions in the lower limbs; balance improved from 7.89 seconds to 9.28 seconds; and flexibility increased from 7.15 cm to 9.28 cm.

Kim Jeom-suk (75, female), who exercised that day, evaluated, "As I aged, I felt my muscle strength weakening and tried yoga and dance, but Eounwan is more effective in building the muscle strength needed for daily life." She added, "Yoga feels like it stretches unused muscles, whereas Eounwan seems to improve the muscles used in everyday activities. I originally had severe back pain, but it almost disappeared after exercising. Since the exercises are done sitting on a chair, I don’t feel dizzy during the workout, and it’s easy for elderly people to follow."

Among Eounwan participants are people in their 90s. Because the intensity can be adjusted according to age, the program is suitable for all age groups. Lee said, "Since the exercises are tailored to seniors’ physical condition and learning pace, there is no feeling of intimidation when exercising alongside younger people."

Hwang Seong-woon (86), who was following the exercises with a straight posture that day, said, "My legs were weak and my muscles ached, but all the pain disappeared," adding, "My arm numbness and back pain are gone too." Hwang has participated in the Eounwan program since last year’s pilot and applied for this year’s first session due to the visible effects. He gave a thumbs-up, saying, "It doesn’t strain the body and is easy to follow," and recommended acquaintances to join the second session.

Naju City plans to expand the Eounwan program to senior centers and other locations. Yoo Na-young, a physical therapist at the Naju Senior Welfare Center, said, "Eounwan is designed to develop both muscle strength and balance," adding, "If distributed nationwide to senior welfare centers and senior centers, it will greatly contribute to the health of the elderly population."