Does aquatic exercise improve commonly reported predisposing risk factors to falls within the elderly? A systematic...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Exercise Physiology
• Preventative Medicine

Background:

• Elderly individuals face high fall risks due to age-related declines in strength, balance, and flexibility.
• Aquatic training presents a low-impact environment to address these modifiable risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the effectiveness of aquatic exercise in preventing falls among the elderly.
• To assess aquatic exercise's role in improving predisposing risk factors for falls in older adults.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2005 and 2018.
• Included healthy participants aged 60-90 without exercise-affecting comorbidities.
• Methodological quality assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale.

Main Results:

• Fourteen trials met inclusion criteria, with varied intervention durations and frequencies.
• No studies reported direct fall rates.
• Aquatic exercise demonstrated improvements in key physical fitness components linked to fall risk.

Conclusions:

• Limited, low-quality evidence suggests aquatic exercise may improve physiological risk factors for falls in the elderly.
• Health professionals should consider these findings for evidence-based fall prevention programs.
• Further well-described research is needed to confirm the efficacy of aquatic exercise for fall prevention.