Balance and Muscle Strength in Elderly Women Who Dance Samba

Abstract

Considering the growth of the aging population, and the increasing risk for falls and related morbidity, it is vital to seek efficient, comprehensive, and culturally relevant prevention programs for elderly people to reduce risks for falls. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the postural balance and muscle strength among women participating in the "Wing of Baianas" in the carnival parades. One hundred and ten women, with an average age of 67.4±5.9 years, were divided into two groups: Baianas group—elderly participants of the carnival parades in the “Wing of Baianas”, and a Control group of women who do not dance samba. Assessments included a physical activity questionnaire, isokinetic muscle strength testing for the knee extensors and flexors, and a postural balance assessment completed on a force platform. There were no differences between groups, for postural balance outcomes, during the eyes open condition; however, with eyes closed, there was a significant effect between groups (Baianas vs Control) in all variables. The Baianas group showed less medio-lateral displacement (p < 0.04); and anteroposterior displacement (p < 0.007); larger amplitudes of medio-lateral displacement (p < 0.001); and anteroposterior displacement (p < 0.001); increased mean velocity (p < 0.01); and elliptical area (p < 0.01) There were no differences in the isokinetic peak torque corrected by body weight, total work and flexor/extensor ratio. Participation in the Wing of Baianas is associated with better balance with closed eyes, but there were no differences between dancers and non-dancers for muscle strength.

WITHDRAWN: A Systematic Review of the Literature Regarding Physical, Cognitive and Emotional Outcomes in Older Adults Practitioners of Physical Exercise

“…According to a PA pro le, we found more articles (32%) with a sample composed of sedentary older adults in comparison with those with an active sample (24%). Those active practitioners took part in different studies doing regular activities, such as yoga [32], athletics [33] and dancing [43].…”

Posturographic measures did not improve the predictive power to identify recurrent falls in community-dwelling elderly fallers

“…In some manner, it was an expected result considering that falls usually occur under dynamic conditions, specifically in ADLs. To maintain semi-static balance, the sensory information must monitor the body position and adjust the level of joint stiffness to ensure stability, with no significant demands that could lead to falls (25). Moreover, Brazilian studies assessing recurrent falls are insufficient; hence, it is difficult to compare the results of our studies to that of the other studies considering that our study is generally based on study design and protocols, divergences in balance evaluations, and measurement methods.…”

“…The clinical evaluation consisted of a structured questionnaire used by the multidisciplinary health team trained on assessing the risk factors for falls, and static posturography was also used in this study (25,26). The average length of each assessment was 2 hours, and the sociodemographic characteristics collected from the study sample included age, sex, race, educational level, marital status, and family income.…”

“…The postural balance assessment (posturography) was performed on a portable force platform (AccuSway Plus s , AMTI1, MA, USA) (25,26). The data were collected and stored using the Balance Clinic software, configured to a frequency of 100 Hz with a cutoff frequency of 10 Hz.…”

Thai dance exercises benefited functional mobility and fall rates among community-dwelling older individuals

“…5 However, the existing reports on cultural dance programs -Brazilian, Turkish and Greek danceshave their own characteristics and varying options based on the country of origin that are suitable for their populations. 6,7 Thus, they may be di±cult to be applied for Thai older individuals, i.e., need special and long training duration to be familiarized in the training programs.…”