Page 123 - Petelin, Ana, Nejc Šarabon, eds. 2018. Zdravje starostnikov ▪︎ Health of the Elderly. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo ▪︎ Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press
P. 123
)dependence of Strength and Postural Stability in Elderly telesna (ne)aktivnost in njen pomen ... | physical (in)activity and its importance ...
Nejc Šarabon 1,2
1 University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, Polje 42, 631 Izola, Slovenia
2 S2P, Science to practice, Ltd., Tehnološki park 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Introduction: Poor balance and decline in strength are considered as reasons
for falls in elderly (Rogers and Mille, 2003). Physical exercise has been shown
to improve balance in an upright posture (Hauer et al., 2006), while bed rest
results in opposite effects. Our aim was to investigate the interplay between
strength and balance in elderly
Methods: We conducted three separate studies on elderly subjects: 1)
cross-sectional study to investigate strength-balance relationship; 2) 14-day
bed rest study and 3) a study investigating the effects of strength training and
electrical stimulation on balance. Body balance was assessed using force plates
and involved different stances and tasks. Strength was evaluated in isometric
conditions.
Results: Study 1: Low correlation coefficients between strength and body sway
velocity, amplitude and frequency (all R2 < 0.22) were found. Study 2: Strength
and body balance measures were deteriorated after BR, but mostly returned
to baseline after 14-day reconditioning. Study 3: Balance parameters were sta-
tistically significant between groups. The improvements were higher in the leg
press than in the electrical stimulation group.
Discussion and Conclusion: The results of our studies indicated no straightfor-
ward relationship between strength and. Activity/inactivity changes in strength
seem to go hand in hand with the changes in improved/impaired balance.
121
Nejc Šarabon 1,2
1 University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, Polje 42, 631 Izola, Slovenia
2 S2P, Science to practice, Ltd., Tehnološki park 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Introduction: Poor balance and decline in strength are considered as reasons
for falls in elderly (Rogers and Mille, 2003). Physical exercise has been shown
to improve balance in an upright posture (Hauer et al., 2006), while bed rest
results in opposite effects. Our aim was to investigate the interplay between
strength and balance in elderly
Methods: We conducted three separate studies on elderly subjects: 1)
cross-sectional study to investigate strength-balance relationship; 2) 14-day
bed rest study and 3) a study investigating the effects of strength training and
electrical stimulation on balance. Body balance was assessed using force plates
and involved different stances and tasks. Strength was evaluated in isometric
conditions.
Results: Study 1: Low correlation coefficients between strength and body sway
velocity, amplitude and frequency (all R2 < 0.22) were found. Study 2: Strength
and body balance measures were deteriorated after BR, but mostly returned
to baseline after 14-day reconditioning. Study 3: Balance parameters were sta-
tistically significant between groups. The improvements were higher in the leg
press than in the electrical stimulation group.
Discussion and Conclusion: The results of our studies indicated no straightfor-
ward relationship between strength and. Activity/inactivity changes in strength
seem to go hand in hand with the changes in improved/impaired balance.
121
