A Systematic Review on Detraining Effects after Balance and Fall Prevention Interventions

Abstract

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, lockdowns have been implemented to fight off infections in countries around the world. Whilst this measure is without a doubt effective against spreading infection, it might also decrease participation in exercise. For older adults, exercise is particularly important in the prevention of falls, and sudden detraining because of a lockdown or due to other causes might have detrimental consequences. This systematic review study aims to assess what is currently known on detraining effects for balance outcomes. Nine studies were included within this review. Results suggest that detraining effects could already be significant as early as 4 weeks after stopping the intervention. Programs that specifically focus on improving balance were more robust against detraining, with most positive effects still being present after 8 weeks. However, even with a specific focus on balance, studies started to show some signs of detraining. The current study is limited by the low number of included studies in the review, indicating a need to further confirm these results.

Three-Month vs. One-Year Detraining Effects after Multicomponent Exercise Program in Hypertensive Older Women

“…The cessation of exercise promoted negative effects in older women, showing that the decline in effects started to occur after three months and were prolonged over the twelve months. Modaberi et al [ 39 ], stated that detraining periods of more than 8 weeks started to affect older participants, even in the more successful exercise programs. In Zhang et al’s [ 40 ] study, they reported that four weeks of detraining after 8 weeks of brisk walking were enough to decline the benefits, but Vogler et al [ 41 ] reported that twelve weeks of detraining after twelve weeks of resistance exercise maintained the improvements achieved.…”

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Physical Activity, Function, and Quality of Life

“…35 A systematic review on the detraining effects after cessation of balance and fall prevention interventions showed a reduction in balance outcomes 4 to 8 weeks after training ceased. 39 Although the review conclusions are limited by the small number of studies included (n 5 9), findings indicate older people may be at increased fall risk postpandemic. Several studies have demonstrated links between physical activity, mental health, quality of life, and wellbeing during the pandemic.…”

Effects of twenty-eight months of detraining imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on the functional fitness of older women experienced in concurrent and functional training

“…It is well established that lack of training leads to a decline in functional fitness, increasing the risk of disability and health care costs ( Cunningham et al, 2020 ). However, despite the existence of some studies investigating the detraining effects using different modalities and periods ( Modaberi et al, 2021 ; Yang et al, 2022 ), to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies examining detraining periods longer than two years on functional fitness and comparing FT, CT, and a control group (CG).…”