Healthcaring Jurnal Ilmiah Kesehatan · Jan 30, 2026

Aerobic Exercise Management to Improve Endurance in Older Adults with Physical Frailty and Knee Osteoarthritis: A Case Study

By Muawanah S, Aurellia A, Rizal Y et al.

Physical frailty is a condition characterized by decreased physiological reserves in the body, including muscle weakness, decreased endurance, slow walking speed, decreased physical activity, and unintentional weight loss. Knee Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative disease in older adults; limited joint motion, chronic pain, and decreased muscle strength due to knee osteoarthritis cause older adults to reduce physical activity, which ultimately leads to decreased cardiovascular and respiratory endurance. This decrease in endurance is characterized by becoming fatigued quickly during activities, and this condition makes older adults increasingly vulnerable to functional impairment and decreased quality of life. One approach to improving endurance is to provide an aerobic exercise intervention. The objective of this study was to determine the improvement in endurance after an aerobic exercise intervention provided 2 times a week for 6 weeks. The method used by the researchers was a case study. The case study was conducted by investigating a problem through a case consisting of one sample. This study was conducted at the frailty physiotherapy clinic in April-May 2025. The measurement used in this study was the 2 Minute Step Test (2MST), with results of E1=57, E2=62, E3=68. The final endurance measurement yielded a score of 68. The conclusion of this study is that providing aerobic exercise is effective in improving endurance in Physical Frailty due to Knee Osteoarthritis. KEYWORDS: Physical frailty, Endurance, Older adults, 2 Minute Step Test, Knee Osteoarthritis

doi.org/10.47709/healthcaring.v5i1.7785 Open access Interventions