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Effect of a home exercise program on dynamic balance in elderly with a history of falls
Sharon L Olson1, Shu-Shi Chen, Ching-Yi Wang
1School of Physical Therapy, Texas Woman's University, Houston, TX, USA.
Objective:
To determine exercise efficacy in improving dynamic balance in community-dwelling elderly with a fall history.
Methods:
Thirty-five participants were randomly assigned to a treatment (TG; n = 19, 77 ± 7 yr) or control group (CG; n = 16, 75 ± 8 yr). The TG received an individualized home exercise program, and the CG received phone calls twice per week for 12 weeks. Participants' dynamic-balance abilities- directional control (DC), endpoint excursion (EE), maximum excursion (ME), reaction time (RT), and movement velocity (MV)-were measured using the Balance Master at 75% limits of stability. Functional reach (FR) was also measured.
Results:
At 12 weeks the TG demonstrated significant improvements in DC (p < .0025), EE (p < .0005), and ME (p < .0005), but the CG did not. No significant group differences were found for MV, RT, or FR.
Conclusions:
Excursion distances and directional control improved but not reaction time, suggesting that exercises requiring quick responses may be needed.