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An intergenerational approach in the promotion of balance and strength for fall prevention - a mini-review
Urs Granacher1, Thomas Muehlbauer, Albert Gollhofer
1Institute of Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. urs.granacher@unibas.ch
Insights
Children and seniors are at high risk for falls due to poor postural control and muscle strength. Balance and resistance training, especially intergenerational programs, can reduce fall rates and injuries in these groups.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Exercise Physiology
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Falls pose a significant risk to children and seniors, primarily due to intrinsic factors like deficits in postural control and muscle strength.
- Postural control and muscle strength exhibit distinct developmental trajectories across the lifespan, with both children and seniors showing impairments compared to adults.
- These neuromuscular limitations contribute to increased fall rates and subsequent injuries in pediatric and geriatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the epidemiology and causes of falls in children and seniors.
- To review training interventions that mitigate intrinsic fall risk factors and reduce fall incidence.
- To propose an intergenerational training approach to enhance program adherence and motivation.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on falls, postural control, muscle strength, and training interventions in children and seniors.
- Analysis of lifespan changes in static and dynamic postural control and muscle strength.
- Examination of the efficacy of balance and resistance training programs.
- Exploration of intergenerational program models.
Main Results:
- Both children and seniors demonstrate greater postural sway and reduced muscle strength compared to adults, increasing fall risk.
- Balance and resistance training programs have shown effectiveness in improving neuromuscular function and reducing falls in these age groups.
- Intergenerational programs integrating children and seniors may enhance training effectiveness through improved motivation and compliance.
Conclusions:
- Neuromuscular deficits in postural control and muscle strength are key contributors to falls in children and seniors.
- Targeted exercise interventions, particularly balance and resistance training, are effective in counteracting these deficits.
- An intergenerational approach holds promise for optimizing fall prevention strategies by fostering engagement and adherence.
Abstract:
The risk of sustaining a fall is particularly high in children and seniors. Deficits in postural control and muscle strength either due to maturation, secular declines or biologic aging are two important intrinsic risk factors for falls. During life span, performance in variables of static postural control follows a U-shaped curve with children and seniors showing larger postural sway than healthy adults. Measures of dynamic postural control (i.e. gait speed) as well as isometric (i.e. maximal strength) and dynamic muscle strength (i.e. muscular power) follow an inverted U-shaped curve during life span, again with children and seniors showing deficits compared to adults. There is evidence that particularly balance and resistance training are effective in counteracting these neuromuscular constraints in both children and seniors. Further, these training regimens are able to reduce the rate of sustaining injuries and falls in these age groups. An intergenerational intervention approach is suggested to enhance the effectiveness of these training programs by improving compliance and increasing motivation of children and seniors exercising together. Thus, the objectives of this mini-review are: (1) to describe the epidemiology and etiology of falls in children and seniors; (2) to discuss training programs that counteract intrinsic fall risk factors by reducing the rate of falling, and (3) to present an intergenerational approach that has the potential to make training programs even more effective by including children and seniors together in one exercise group.
