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Exercising to piano music may reduce falls among older adults
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A music-based multitask exercise program may lead to improvedgait and balance – as well as a reduction in the rate of falling – in community-dwelling elderly adults, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
“Each year, one-third of the population 65 years and older experiences at least one fall, and half of those fall repeatedly,” Andrea Trombetti, MD, of the University of Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine of Geneva in Switzerland, and colleagues wrote in their study. “Exercise can counteract key risk factors for falls, such as poor balance, and consequently reduce risk of falling in elderly community-dwelling individuals.”
A 6-month program
The randomized, controlled trial of a 6-month, music-based multitask exercise program involved 134 adults who were older than 65 years and at an increased risk of falling. The average age in the study was 75.5 years, and 96% of the participants were women.
Study participants were randomly assigned to either a music-based multitask exercise program or a delayed intervention control group. For the first 6 months, adults in the intervention group participated in a 1-hour weekly exercise program led by an instructor. This class featured multitask exercises – including a wide range of balance-challenging movements – which became more difficult as the study progressed.
Exercises included walking in time to piano music and responding to changes in the music’s rhythm. During the second 6 months of the study, the delayed intervention control group participated in the same exercise class, while adults in the intervention group returned to normal exercise activities.
Lasting improvements
The investigators found that balance and function tests improved in the intervention group when compared with the control group, with fewer falls and a lower rate of falling in the early intervention group. There were 24 falls (a rate of 0.7 per person per year) in the early intervention group and 54 falls (1.6 per person per year) in the delayed intervention group.
Adults in the delayed intervention control group reportedly experienced similar changes during the second 6-month period when they were enrolled in the exercise class program.
Furthermore, the investigators found that under the single-task condition, adults in the intervention group increased their usual gait velocity and stride length compared with those in the control group. Stride time variability also improved in the intervention group.
In the dual-task condition, adults in the intervention group increased their stride length and decreased stride length variability compared to the control group. These benefits were still apparent at 6-month follow-up.
Reference:
Trombetti A, Hars M, Herrman FR, et al. Effect of music-based multitask training on gait, balance, and fall risk in elderly people: A randomized controlled trial. Arch Intern Med. Published online November 22, 2010. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2010.446.
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