The effect of strengthening and balance programs on preventing falls in the elderly: A systematic review
Author(s): Georgios Pittaras, Paris Iakovidis, Konstantinos Kasimis, Antonis Fetlis, Dimitrios Lytras and Evangelia Papatheodorou
Abstract: Falls can occur at any age, however, older adults are more prone to falls because of the physiological changes which occur due to aging, but also because of delayed recovery caused by age. The purpose of this systematic review is to study the effectiveness of strengthening and balance improvement programs as well as the importance of these programs in the quality of life of the elderly.
Methods: The international databases PubMed, Springer Link, PEDro and Medline were searched with keywords in the English language: Strengthening AND balance exercises AND Elderly falls prevention. Clinical studies published in the last 9 years were selected.
Results: Six clinical studies were included in the review, applying a total of 524 elderly people. Most studies concluded that balance and strengthening programs have significant effects in preventing falls in the elderly, although one found that while there was an improvement in the musculature and combating musculoskeletal problems, no improvement in fall prevention was observed.
Discussion-Conclusions: From the results of this review it appears that the implementation of programs with strengthening and balance exercises has significant effects in reducing falls in the elderly. It was also observed that there is a considerable improvement in the quality of life and assistance in the independent living of the elderly. Therefore, strengthening and balance programs for the elderly are a safe and effective solution not only for preventing falls but also for recovery after a fall.
DOI: 10.22271/27069567.2023.v5.i1a.432Pages: 20-24 | Views: 428 | Downloads: 149Download Full Article: Click HereHow to cite this article:
Georgios Pittaras, Paris Iakovidis, Konstantinos Kasimis, Antonis Fetlis, Dimitrios Lytras, Evangelia Papatheodorou.
The effect of strengthening and balance programs on preventing falls in the elderly: A systematic review. Int J Adv Res Med 2023;5(1):20-24. DOI:
10.22271/27069567.2023.v5.i1a.432
