[Risks of physiotherapeutical intervention in pre-clinical geriatrics (author's transl)]

Physiotherapeutical measures of intervention applied to ageing people must not be regarded as a form of neutral secondary treatment included in a therapeutical concept. A wealth of positive findings illustrates that physiotherapeutical measures can be regarded as a meaningful possibility of influencing the ageing process, and in particular the diseases accompanying the ageing process, in a positive way. This is demonstrated by the behaviour of various data recorded for the cardiovascular system, the pulmonary function and the maximum oxygen absorption capacity, all of which being indicators of physical fitness. In people of advanced age all these data are also clearly improved by physiotherapeutical intervention. The positive effects of physiotherapeutical measures can be enhanced by taking into account the risks which may occur in ageing people whose tolerance to stress has been exceeded.