Exercise Strategies for the Elderly Help Prevent Injury

Embedding balance and strength movements into everyday activities such as carrying groceries from the car may help older people prevent falls and improve overall strength and balance, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Sydney (Australia; sydney.edu.au) conducted a randomized trial in which 317 residents of Sydney older than 70 years who had two or more falls or one injurious fall within the previous year were recruited and randomly assigned to one of the following interventions: a novel activity-integrated exercise program called Lifestyle integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE, 107 participants), a structured exercise program (105 participants), or a gentle exercise control program (105 participants). The participants maintained weekly exercise logs and reported any falls they experienced on daily calendars that were mailed monthly to the researchers.

The results showed that during the trial, and as recorded at the 12-month follow-up, participants in the LiFE group experienced 172 falls, participants in the structured group experienced 193 falls, and participants in the control group experienced 224 falls. LiFE participants also showed improvements in balance, ankle strength, daily activity measures, and adherence rates. Compared with control therapy, LiFE was associated with an incidence rate ratio of 0.69 for fall. The study was published early online on August 7, 2012, in BMJ.

"The LiFE program provides an additional choice to traditional exercise and another fall prevention program that could work for some people,” concluded lead author Lindy Clemson, PhD, and colleagues of the faculty of health sciences. “Rather than a structured program, LiFE movements can occur at any time and be incorporated into normal daily activities such as ironing while standing on one leg, talking on the phone while heel standing...[and] squatting in the supermarket to select an item from a lower shelf rather than bending.”

At least one third of community-dwelling adults older than 65 experiences one or more falls at home per year and approximately one in every five of these falls require medical care. Falls are associated with higher morbidity and mortality risks, and they trail only motor vehicle crashes in the economic costs of injuries among older adults. Wrist and hip fractures are the most particularly costly injuries among older adults. Resistance and balance training can reduce the risk for falls among older adults, but less than 10% of these individuals perform such exercises.

Related Links:
University of Sydney