Comparison of the risk of falls in older people before and after to application of a multicomponent exercise program based on subsystems of postural stability

Background and objective: Multicomponent Exercise Programs have shown adequate effectiveness in older people. However, they do not always show direct benefits on balance and risk of falls. This implies the need to apply these exercise programs with a strong a strong postural stability training component. The objective was to compare the risk of falls before and after the application of an Multicomponent Exercise Program based on specific components of postural stability. Material and methods: Through a quasi-experimental research, 72 people aged 60 years and over participated, who were evaluated based on the following clinical tests: Five Times Sit to Stand (FTST); Unipedal Stance Test (UST); Timed Up and Go (TUG); Self-Selected Walking Speed (SSWS) and Falls Efficacy Scale (FES). Subsequently, an intervention of 12 45-minute sessions was carried out three times per week, which consisted of a Multicomponent Exercise Program with 6 specific stations of physical conditioning and stability exercises. A month later the volunteers were evaluated again. Results: Significant improvements were observed in the FTST tests (P<.0001); Right EUP (P=.006), Left EUP (P=.010) and TUG (P<.0001). There were no significant changes in the SSWS tests (P=.938), and FES (.767) Conclusions: The multicomponent training plan based on postural stability subsystems could be associated with the best significant performance in the EUP, TUG and FTST tests, and with it to a possible reduction of the risk of falls.