The Use of Latin Dance-Based Balance Training in a Community-Dwelling Elderly Patient: A Retrospective Case Report

Balance among other factors play a large role in the elderly population’s fall risk. Evidence demonstrates that falls in older people can be prevented with specifically designed interventions. Dance or dance-based balance interventions have been reported to help improve balance in elderly individuals. Limited research exists on the use of Latin music in dance-based balance interventions in the elderly population. The purpose of this retrospective case report was to examine the use of Latin dance–based balance interventions with bachata, merengue, and cumbia music, for an elderly individual who had functional mobility but was unsteady on uneven surfaces. The patient was a 73 year-old female that reported difficulty walking on uneven sidewalks, streets, and grass. The patient presented with deficits in maintaining balance in single leg stance bilaterally and while standing on a foam surface with eyes closed, a component of the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (CTSIB). Interventions focused on improving stability with decreased base of support, single-leg stance, and turns, on and off compliant surfaces with the use of Latin music. Improvements were seen in single-leg stance for the left leg, increasing by 3 seconds (MDC 24.1 seconds) and in time for eyes closed on foam surface for the modified CTSIB, increasing by 20 seconds. This report examined the use of Latin dance-based balance interventions in a community-dwelling elderly patient. Further research with increased sample size, static and dynamic balance outcome measures, and increased period of time for interventions is needed