Proprioceptive and Strength Exercise Guidelines to Prevent Falls in the Elderly Related to Biomechanical Movement Characteristics

Falls are a major concern in the elderly and walking is an important daily activity in which falls occur, with tripping and slipping being the most frequent causes. Gait biomechanical parameters have been related to the occurrence of falls in the elderly. Moreover, there is evidence that falls can b...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pedro Aleixo, João Abrantes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-01-01
Series:Healthcare
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/186
_version_ 1797343784969699328
author Pedro Aleixo
João Abrantes
author_facet Pedro Aleixo
João Abrantes
author_sort Pedro Aleixo
collection DOAJ
description Falls are a major concern in the elderly and walking is an important daily activity in which falls occur, with tripping and slipping being the most frequent causes. Gait biomechanical parameters have been related to the occurrence of falls in the elderly. Moreover, there is evidence that falls can be prevented through exercise programs, which have been shown to be also effective in improving gait biomechanical parameters. However, a question remains: “What types of exercises must be included in exercise programs to prevent falls?”. The purpose of this manuscript was to present guidelines for a fall prevention exercise program for the elderly, which was created with the aim of improving the gait biomechanical parameters related to falls. The critical review performed during the preparation of this manuscript collected important evidence and knowledge in order to create a structural basis for the development of a fall prevention exercise program. This type of program should last 6 or more weeks and be prescribed based on four movement pillars (locomotion, level changes, pulling and pushing, and rotations); however, the locomotion pillar must be the focus of the program. Proprioceptive and functional strength exercises should be included in this program. Based on the theoretical rationale, a proposal for a fall prevention exercise program is presented.
first_indexed 2024-03-08T10:52:50Z
format Article
id doaj.art-ef869cf253844ebfab62a1a2ea224b93
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2227-9032
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-08T10:52:50Z
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Healthcare
spelling doaj.art-ef869cf253844ebfab62a1a2ea224b932024-01-26T16:45:58ZengMDPI AGHealthcare2227-90322024-01-0112218610.3390/healthcare12020186Proprioceptive and Strength Exercise Guidelines to Prevent Falls in the Elderly Related to Biomechanical Movement CharacteristicsPedro Aleixo0João Abrantes1Centro de Investigação em Desporto, Educação Física, Exercício e Saúde (CIDEFES), Universidade Lusófona, 1749-024 Lisbon, PortugalCentre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies (CICANT), Universidade Lusófona, 1749-024 Lisbon, PortugalFalls are a major concern in the elderly and walking is an important daily activity in which falls occur, with tripping and slipping being the most frequent causes. Gait biomechanical parameters have been related to the occurrence of falls in the elderly. Moreover, there is evidence that falls can be prevented through exercise programs, which have been shown to be also effective in improving gait biomechanical parameters. However, a question remains: “What types of exercises must be included in exercise programs to prevent falls?”. The purpose of this manuscript was to present guidelines for a fall prevention exercise program for the elderly, which was created with the aim of improving the gait biomechanical parameters related to falls. The critical review performed during the preparation of this manuscript collected important evidence and knowledge in order to create a structural basis for the development of a fall prevention exercise program. This type of program should last 6 or more weeks and be prescribed based on four movement pillars (locomotion, level changes, pulling and pushing, and rotations); however, the locomotion pillar must be the focus of the program. Proprioceptive and functional strength exercises should be included in this program. Based on the theoretical rationale, a proposal for a fall prevention exercise program is presented.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/186elderlyfallsstabilityarticular mobilityproprioceptive exercisestrength exercise
spellingShingle Pedro Aleixo
João Abrantes
Proprioceptive and Strength Exercise Guidelines to Prevent Falls in the Elderly Related to Biomechanical Movement Characteristics
Healthcare
elderly
falls
stability
articular mobility
proprioceptive exercise
strength exercise
title Proprioceptive and Strength Exercise Guidelines to Prevent Falls in the Elderly Related to Biomechanical Movement Characteristics
title_full Proprioceptive and Strength Exercise Guidelines to Prevent Falls in the Elderly Related to Biomechanical Movement Characteristics
title_fullStr Proprioceptive and Strength Exercise Guidelines to Prevent Falls in the Elderly Related to Biomechanical Movement Characteristics
title_full_unstemmed Proprioceptive and Strength Exercise Guidelines to Prevent Falls in the Elderly Related to Biomechanical Movement Characteristics
title_short Proprioceptive and Strength Exercise Guidelines to Prevent Falls in the Elderly Related to Biomechanical Movement Characteristics
title_sort proprioceptive and strength exercise guidelines to prevent falls in the elderly related to biomechanical movement characteristics
topic elderly
falls
stability
articular mobility
proprioceptive exercise
strength exercise
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/2/186
work_keys_str_mv AT pedroaleixo proprioceptiveandstrengthexerciseguidelinestopreventfallsintheelderlyrelatedtobiomechanicalmovementcharacteristics
AT joaoabrantes proprioceptiveandstrengthexerciseguidelinestopreventfallsintheelderlyrelatedtobiomechanicalmovementcharacteristics