Leg support ring linked to stronger legs in older adults
A randomized trial in 64 adults aged 60 or older linked a 12-week program to greater strength gains than standard care and usual exercise.
Our read
Interventions- Studied:
- Randomized trial in 64 older adults with lower limb muscle weakness, 12 weeks (Blinded, sample size calculated, registered TCTR20260417004)
- What changed:
- Leg strength improved more with the leg support ring program than with standard care and usual exercise
- The catch:
- Only the ring group received structured resistance training, so exercise differences could explain the benefit
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Sixty-four community-dwelling adults aged 60 or older in Eastern Thailand, all with leg muscle weakness and moderate dependence in daily activities, took part in a randomized controlled trial. Women made up 70.3% of participants. One group used a support ring with elastic ankle straps for seated exercises for 12 weeks. They exercised two to three times daily, about 20 minutes per session, three to five days weekly. The comparison group received standard care and continued usual exercise.
The ring group had greater improvements in measures of leg strength, joint movement, daily functioning and quality of life. These gains persisted or increased at follow-up three months after ring use stopped. All participants completed follow-up. No adverse events, injuries or device-related complications were reported.
Why it matters
Leg weakness in older adults is associated with falls and loss of independence. The authors suggest that this simple, accessible program may fit community health programs supporting active aging.
Caveats
Participants and exercise providers knew group assignments, although outcome assessors did not. The results do not cover older adults with severe coexisting illnesses, cognitive impairment or conditions that limited safe participation, whom the trial excluded.
From the paper
- Participants
The remaining 64 participants were enrolled and allocated to the intervention group, which used the innovative leg support ring (n=32), or to the comparison group, which received standard care (n=32).
- Follow-up
During the 3-month follow-up period, the intervention group discontinued use of the leg support ring, and the control group continued their usual daily activities without further structured monitoring or support from the research team.
- Harms
During the study period, no adverse events, injuries, or device-related complications were reported.
Quoted word for word from the full text on PubMed Central.
The paper
Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University
Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, May 20, 2026, Open access
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