How Pursed-Lip Breathing Affects Balance and Body Stability in Older Adults: A Crossover Study

INTERVENTION: Intervention1: With Pursed lip breathing: Participants are trained to breathe in slowly through the nose for 2 counts, followed by exhaling slowly through puckered/pursed lips for 4 to 5 counts (maintaining an expiratory phase roughly twice as long as inspiration). This intervention is performed statically or during specific balance/postural assessments to measure its impact on anticipatory postural control and postural sway. Control Intervention1: without pursed lip breathing: Participants perform standard quiet, unconstrained abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing at their natural resting respiratory rate without altering lip posture or forcing prolonged exhalation. This serves as the control baseline to isolate the specific effects of the pursed‐lip technique on postural stability metrics. CONDITION: PRIMARY OUTCOME: Anticipatory postural control by Multiple Direction Reach Test MDRT reach distance cm. ; Timepoint: Postural sway by IMU derived parameters AP sway ML sway RMS sway velocity and sway area. SECONDARY OUTCOME: NILTimepoint: NIL INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Age 60 to 80 yrs 2. Both genders 3. Independent community ambulation 4. Able to follow verbal instructions