Exercise programmes can prevent falls among older people, according to a French study published today.
Injuries due to a fall are common and a top cause of long-term pain and disability for older adults. Well-designed exercise programmes can help prevent falls in older adults living at home, but there is less evidence that these programmes can also prevent injuries caused by falls.
So Dr Marie-Aline Charles of Paris South University, Villejuif, France, and colleagues investigated further. They identified 17 randomised controlled trials of fall prevention exercise interventions. A total of 4,305 adults over 60 years of age were involved. Four categories of falls were identified: all injurious falls, falls resulting in medical care, severe injurious falls, and falls resulting in fractures.
Results showed that exercise had a significant effect in all categories of fall. It cut the risk of injurious falls overall by 37%, falls resulting in medical care by 30%, severe injurious falls by 43%, and falls resulting in fractures by 61%.
Full details are published in the British Medical Journal. The authors say that the exercises that were effective for fall prevention emphasised balance training, which is "ample evidence that this type of programme improves balance ability".
However, most programmes also include other types of exercise such as gait and functional training, strengthening exercises, flexibility, and endurance. The authors write that exercise prevents injurious falls not only by improving balance and decreasing the risk of falling, but also by improving cognitive functioning.
The results give "useful additional evidence for health care providers to encourage patients to take part in exercise fall-prevention programmes", they add.
El-Khoury, F. et al. The effect of fall prevention exercise programmes on fall induced injuries in community dwelling older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 30 October 2013 doi: 10.1136/bmj.f6234 [abstract]
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