Abstract
BackgroundWe aimed to determine the effectiveness of 4 weeks of balance exercise compared with no intervention on objectively measured postural sway.MethodsThis was a single-center parallel randomized controlled, open label, trial. A six-sided dice was used for allocation at a 1:1-ratio between exercise and control. The trial was performed at a university hospital clinic in Sweden and recruited community-dwelling older adults with documented postural instability. The intervention consisted of progressively challenging balance exercise three times per week, during 4 weeks, with follow-up at week five. Main outcome measures were objective postural sway length during eyes open and eyes closed conditions.ResultsSixty-five participants aged 70 years (balance exercise n = 32; no intervention n = 33) were randomized. 14 participants were excluded from analysis because of early dropout before follow-up at week five, leaving 51 (n = 22; n = 29) participants for analysis. No significant differences were detected between the groups in any of the postural sway outcomes. Within-group analyses showed significant improvements in hand grip strength for the intervention group, while Timed Up & Go improvements were comparable between groups but only statistically significant in the control group.ConclusionsPerforming balance exercise over a four-week intervention period did not acutely improve postural sway in balance-deficient older adults. The lower limit in duration and frequency to achieve positive effects remains unclear.Trial registrationClinical trials NCT03227666, July 24, 2017, retrospectively registered.
Highlights
Today, fracture prevention is primarily focused on osteoporosis and bone-strengthening measures [1]
78 individuals were excluded from the trial because they did not meet the inclusion criteria of walking without a walking aid (n = 5), declined participation (n = 47), or did not respond on telephone (n = 26)
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 4 weeks’ balance exercise on static and dynamic balance performance, fear of falling and self-efficacy, where the training was considered to be of initial low-threshold and progressively challenging suitable for untrained, older individuals
Summary
Fracture prevention is primarily focused on osteoporosis and bone-strengthening measures [1]. Impairments in balance, functional mobility, gait, and muscle strength have shown to be important physical risk factors for falls among older adults [4,5,6,7,8,9]. Psychological aspects such as fear of falling and poor self-efficacy are known to predict falls [10,11,12]. It is estimated that two thirds of deaths due to fall accidents could potentially be prevented, either through balance and strength exercise, or through an attenuation of extrinsic or intrinsic risk factors [8]. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of 4 weeks of balance exercise compared with no intervention on objectively measured postural sway
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