[Postural control in adults. Influence of age and aerobic training.]

The ability to control postural balance is essential to perform most of the activities of daily life, allowing you to maintain an active lifestyle, avoiding falls. However, aging-related changes in sensory systems, neural processing, information conduction, and musculoskeletal mechanics make postural control difficult in older adults. In the evaluation of posturo-graphic parameters, alterations are observed after physical exercise. The objective of this study focused on analyzing the possible influence of age on postural control in an adult population and comparing the differences in postural control due to the regular practice of aerobic physical activity.

A cross-sectional study was carried out in 116 healthy adults, differentiating them between sedentary and sportsmen (cyclists and runners) and in two age groups (< and ≥ 65 years). Data were collected on the RMS amplitude (root-mean-square) in AP (antero-posterior) and ML (medio-lateral) and the RMS velocity obtained through a force platform in different support and vision conditions. SPSS 15.0 Software was used for the statistical treatment with a significance level of 5%. To compare the dependent variables between the different activity gropus, the t-test and the Mann-Witney were applied (p<0,05), while correlation análisys was applied to study the relationship of age in the postural parameters using p Pearson and Spearman test depending on the distribution of the data.

The results reaffirmed the negative influence of physiological aging on postural control mechanisms in the sedentary group, as well as a positive influence of the practice of aerobic exercise regardless of age, with an improvement in balance. More than half of the posturagraphic parameters (PP) were altered in sedentary subjects compared to athletes, who did not show alterations (p<0,05). The RMS-Velocity (mm/s) or distribution of displacement in standing over time, is the parameter with the greatest alteration in all the conditions analyzed (p<0,01), among sedentary subjects regardless of age, not suffering variations among athletes. In relation to the type of sport, we observed better results in cyclists compared to the sedentary group, with less alterations in all PP (RMS-ROM in AP, ML and RMS-Velocity) mainly for single-leg support on a hard surface and with eyes open as well as closed.

We can conclude that the practice of regular aerial exercise is a beneficial activity to improve postural control, preserve the deterioration of balance and prevent falls.