Balance Exercises Circuit improves muscle strength, balance, and functional performance in older women

• Autor(a) principal: Avelar, Bruna Pereira
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Outros Autores: Almeida Costa, Juliana Nunes de, Safons, Marisete Peralta, Dutra, Maurilio Tiradentes, Bottaro, Martim, Gobbi, Sebastiao [UNESP], Tiedemann, Anne, David, Ana Cristina de, Lima, Ricardo Moreno
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11357-016-9872-7; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/165063
• topic: Exercise; Muscle strength; Task performance; Aged; Balance

This study introduces the Balance Exercises Circuit (BEC) and examines its effects on muscle strength and power, balance, and functional performance in older women. Thirty-five women aged 60+ (mean age = 69.31, SD = 7.35) were assigned to either a balance exercises group (BG, n = 14) that underwent 50-min sessions twice weekly, of a 12-week BEC program, or a wait-list control group (CG, n = 21). Outcome measures were knee extensor peak torque (PT), rate of force development (RFD), balance, Timed Up & Go (TUG), 30-s chair stand, and 6-min walk tests, assessed at baseline and 12 weeks. Twenty-three participants completed follow-up assessments. Mixed analysis of variance models examined differences in outcomes. The BG displayed improvements in all measures at follow-up and significantly improved compared with CG on, isokinetic PT60, PT180 (p = 0.02), RFD (p < 0.05), balance with eyes closed (p values range.02 to <. 01) and TUG (p = 0.03), all with medium effect sizes. No changes in outcome measures were observed in the CG. BEC improved strength, power, balance, and functionality in older women. The BEC warrants further investigation as a fall prevention intervention.