Functional mobility and balance in community-dwelling elderly submitted to multisensory versus strength exercises

Fábio Marcon Alfieri1, Marcelo Riberto2, Lucila Silveira Gatz3, Carla Paschoal Corsi Ribeiro2, José Augusto Fernandes Lopes2, José Maria Santarém4, Linamara Rizzo Battistella21São Paulo Adventist University Center, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital of Clinics of the University of São Paulo, 3Degree in physical education, São Paulo, Brazil; 4Coordinator of the Center of Study for Physical Activity Sciences (CECAFI) in the Department of Geriatrics, University of São Paulo Abstract: It is well documented that aging impairs balance and functional mobility. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of multisensory versus strength exercises on these parameters. We performed a simple blinded randomized controlled trial with 46 community-dwelling elderly allocated to strength ([GST], N = 23, 70.2-years-old ± 4.8 years) or multisensory ([GMS], N = 23, 68.8-years-old ± 5.9 years) exercises twice a week for 12 weeks. Subjects were evaluated by blinded raters using the timed ‘up and go’ test (TUG), the Guralnik test battery, and a force platform. By the end of the treatment, the GMS group showed a significant improvement in TUG (9.1 ± 1.9 seconds (s) to 8.0 ± 1.0 s, P = 0.002); Guralnik test battery (10.6 ± 1.2 to 11.3 ± 0.8 P = 0.009); lateromedial (6.1 ± 11.7 cm to 3.1 ± 1.6 cm, P = 0.02) and anteroposterior displacement (4.7 ± 4.2 cm to 3.4 ± 1.0 cm, P = 0.03), which were not observed in the GST group. These results reproduce previous findings in the literature and mean that the stimulus to sensibility results in better achievements for the control of balance and dynamic activities. Multisensory exercises were shown to be more efficacious than strength exercises to improve functional mobility.Keywords: older adults, balance, functional mobility, exercisesCorrigendum for this paper has been publishe