The Effect of Short-Term Conditional-Equilibrium Exercises on Balance and Functional Limitations in Aged Women With Frailty Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trail

Objectives: Increasing in frailty syndrome is one consequence of the aging population. Frailty syndrome can have adverse effects on the independent life and social activities of the elderly by threatening their balance and mobility. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of short-term postural-balance training on balance and functional limitations in elderly women with frailty syndrome. Methods and Materials: The present clinical trial study was performed on 54 elderly women with frailty syndrome. Participants were randomly selected from one of the daycare centers for the elderly in Shiraz and were divided into two groups of intervention (n = 27) and control (n = 27). For the intervention group, 12 sessions of short-term postural-balance exercises were held. Data were collected using the Fried Frailty Index, Berg Balance Scale (BBS-9), and Fear of Falling in the Elderly (SAFE) Questionnaire at the beginning of the study and at the end of the intervention and analyzed using SPSS software version 25. Results: The mean age of participants was 66.77 years and 94.4% of participants had at least one chronic disease. Following the intervention, there was a significant improvement in the mean scores of frailty such as physical activity, and walk time, balance, and motor limitation of the elderly in the intervention group. While the intervention could not have a significant effect on other indicators of frailty i.e. unwanted weight loss, Exhaustion, and Grip strength in the intervention group.  Conclusions: Postural-balance exercises significantly improve the physical characteristics of malnutrition, motor and functional limitations in daily life activities in the elderly.