Neurophysiologie Clinique/Clinical Neurophysiology
Review/Mise au pointEffects of physical training on age-related balance and postural controlEffets de l’entraînement physique sur l’équilibre et le contrôle postural des personnes vieillissantes
Section snippets
Aging, falls, autonomy and quality of life in older adults
People aged 65 years and older represent the fastest-growing population segment of the European Union. With increased longevity in industrialized countries, aging of the population has highlighted the need to manage balance disorders in the elderly subjects. The World Heath Organisation (WHO) has classified fall prevention as a public health challenge worldwide [121]. Indeed, the economic costs to society and individual consequences of falls have led to the creation of fall prevention programs
Postural control and aging
Falls result from inadequacy of motor response to a disturbance of balance. For example, inappropriate stepping in response to unexpected balance perturbations is more prevalent in older people and in those at risk of falling [68]. Prospective and retrospective epidemiological studies were performed to identify specific risk factors that place individuals at increased risk of falling [92]. However, the identification of at risk populations remains difficult because the causes of the fall are
Postural control and sedentary versus physically active lifestyles
Studies comparing several groups of participants have shown better postural performance in physically active people. Indeed, practitioners of physical activities have better postural performance than sedentary subjects, both in younger [39] and in older age ranges [13], [31], [82].
In previous studies, it has been demonstrated that regular walking in healthy older subjects has beneficial effects on postural control as compared to a sedentary group [69]. Bird et al. demonstrated that regular
Effects of physical training
Most studies describing the effects of physical activity programs compared the effects of an activity with a control group (typically: stretching, awareness education, or muscle relaxation groups) (Table 1).
Comparison of different physical activities
Some recent studies were carried out with the aim of comparing different physical activities and of determining whether a certain training program is superior to another. As reported below, some studies have compared the balance performance of different types of practice [31], [72]. From biomechanical analyses of Tai Chi exercises, Tai Chi exercises were found to be more challenging than walking. Indeed, studies reported that Tai Chi exercises simulate the gait challenges that may be
Conclusion
In older individuals, the cause of falls is not simple. The multifactorial nature of the fall makes establishment of a falls prevention program difficult. In the elderly, several factors contribute to an increased risk of falling: reduction of physical activity, fear of falling, loss of muscle strength and loss of proprioception.
It is difficult to answer the question of what activity might be most effective in preventing falls. Indeed, the older population is very heterogeneous (frail or robust
Disclosure of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interest.
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Relationship between physical activity level and sleep quality with postural control and hemodynamic response in the prefrontal cortex during dual-task performance
2022, Physiology and BehaviorCitation Excerpt :However, the cerebral oxygen levels at very hard exercise intensities dropped [21]. Earlier research revealed that physically active people present a better postural performance than sedentary people [22]; furthermore, physical activity improves balance, strength, coordination, functional ability, and gait performance [23]. On the other hand, the association between the level of physical activity and postural control has shown contradictory results in some studies.
Physical activity limits the effects of age and Alzheimer's disease on postural control
2017, Neurophysiologie CliniqueCitation Excerpt :Physical activity increases cardiac output, which augments cerebral blood flow; this in turn increases angiogenesis, neurogenesis, synaptogenesis and neurotransmitter synthesis and thus facilitates brain plasticity and the cognitive function of healthy subjects [10]. Furthermore, physical activity improves sensory and motor function as well as central integration of the postural system [7]. Through non-instrumented clinical tests, numerous studies have shown that physical activity improves the postural function of AD subjects [3,6,13]; on the other hand, some other studies did not observe such improvement [14,17].
Effectiveness of Multimodal Training Compared to a Uni-Modal Walking Intervention on Postural Control, Strength, Gait Speed and Flexibility in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
2024, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport