The Effects of Multisensory Balance Training on Postural Control in Older Adults

Objectives: It has been found that older adults fall or sway significantly more than younger ones under sensory conflict conditions. Considering the prospects of future increases in the elderly population size of Iran and the lack of proper postural control and the high costs of its probable consequences, this study investigated the effects of multi balance training on postural control. Methods & Materials: In this semi-experimental study, 34 elderly women participated in two training and control groups with the mean ages of 72.4 and 72.9 respectively. Before and after training, to investigate the functional balance and postural control, the Berg Balance Scale and a force plate were used. The training group participated in multisensory balance training sessions of 1 hour classes held three days per week for five weeks. Data was analyzed using an independent sample and a paired t-test. Results: The analysis showed significant differences between the training group and the control after balance training in the measured parameters of postural control consisting of path length and mean velocity in the eyes open (P=0.001) and eyes closed (P=0.0001) conditions and the Berg Balance Scale (P=0.002). Conclusion: Results indicate that multisensory balance training can improve the parameters of postural control even in short term