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Effects of balance and resistance training in children, adolescents, and seniors

Wirkungen von Gleichgewichts- und Krafttraining bei Kindern, Jugendlichen und Senioren

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Abstract

Background and aims

Over the last few decades, demographic change has affected the German population in terms of a decreasing proportion of young people and an increasing proportion of elderly people. Both age groups have deficits in motor performance in common, either due to maturation and secular declines (children and adolescents) or due to biologic aging (seniors). As a consequence, deficits in postural control and muscle strength can be observed in children, adolescents, and seniors. Given these functional limitations, it is not surprising that risk of falling and, thus, medical care is particularly high in these age groups. Therefore, the objectives of this work were to investigate whether resistance or balance training have an effect on intrinsic fall risk factors (i.e., deficits in balance and strength) in children, adolescents, and seniors.

Methods

Healthy prepubertal, adolescent, and elderly subjects participated in a series of longitudinal studies. Muscle strength of the lower extremities was assessed by means of an isokinetic device and/or force plates. Postural control was determined during quiet and perturbed stance on a balance platform, during unperturbed multitask walking on a pressure sensitive walkway, as well as during perturbed walking on a treadmill. In addition, activity of lower extremity muscles was recorded.

Results

Balance training significantly improved postural sway, the ability to compensate for stance and gait perturbations, and strength performance of the lower extremities in adolescents, and seniors, however not in prepubertal children. Resistance training significantly enhanced strength performance, but not performance in biomechanic tests assessing postural control in adolescents and seniors.

Conclusion

The investigated effects of balance and resistance training on postural control and strength together with data from epidemiologic studies imply that the combination of balance and resistance training is best suited for fall prevention, because it effectively counteracts a large number of intrinsic fall risk factors.

Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund und Ziele

Der gegenwärtig und zukünftig stattfindende demographische Wandel in Deutschland führt vor allem zu einem reduzierten Anteil junger und einem erhöhten Anteil älterer Menschen an der Gesamtbevölkerung. Beide Altersgruppen haben gemeinsam, dass die motorische Leistung eingeschränkt ist, entweder entwicklungsbedingt, durch säkuläre Verschlechterungen (Kinder und Jugendliche) oder aber aufgrund biologischer Alterungsprozesse (Senioren). Letztlich bewirken diese Erscheinungen Defizite in der posturalen Kontrolle und der Muskelkraft von Kindern, Jugendlichen und Senioren. Aufgrund dieser funktionellen Einschränkungen ist es nicht weiter verwunderlich, dass das Sturzrisiko sowie der Bedarf nach medizinischer Versorgung in diesen Alterssegmenten besonders hoch sind. Vor diesem Hintergrund bestanden die Ziele dieser Arbeit in der Untersuchung der Auswirkungen von Kraft- oder Gleichgewichtstraining auf intrinsische Sturzrisikofaktoren (Kraft- und Gleichgewichtsdefizite) von Kindern, Jugendlichen und Senioren.

Methodik

Gesunde präpubertäre, adoleszente und ältere Menschen nahmen an einer Reihe von Längsschnittstudien teil. Die Muskelkraft der unteren Extremitäten wurde mittels eines Isokineten und/oder durch Kraftmessplatten erfasst. Die Ermittlung der posturalen Kontrolle fand während des ruhigen und perturbierten Stehens auf einer Gleichgewichtsplatte, während des nichtperturbierten Gehens unter Anwendung kognitiver und motorischer Zusatzaufgaben auf einem drucksensitiven Gangteppich oder während des perturbierten Gehens auf einem Laufband statt. Zusätzlich wurde die Aktivität unterschiedlicher Muskeln der unteren Extremitäten erfasst.

Ergebnisse

Gleichgewichtstraining führte zu signifikanten Verbesserungen der posturalen Schwankungen, der Fähigkeit, Störreize während des Stehens und Gehens zu kompensieren, und der Kraft bei Adoleszenten und Senioren, jedoch nicht bei präpuberalen Kindern. Krafttraining bewirkte einen signifikanten Kraftzuwachs von Muskeln der unteren Extremitäten bei Adoleszenten und Senioren. Es konnten jedoch keine signifikanten Auswirkungen auf die Leistung in biomechanischen Tests zur Erfassung der posturalen Kontrolle festgestellt werden.

Schlussfolgerung

Die ermittelten Effekte zu den Auswirkungen von Gleichgewichts- und Krafttraining auf die posturale Kontrolle und die Muskelkraft sowie die Forschungsresultate epidemiologischer Studien implizieren, dass die Kombination aus Gleichgewichts- und Krafttraining am besten als sturzpräventive Maßahme geeignet zu sein scheint, da einer Vielzahl intrinsischer Sturzrisikofaktoren entgegengewirkt wird.

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Acknowledgment

This work originally consisted of 9 research papers (3 cross-sectional and 6 longitudinal studies). Due to the journal’s space restrictions, the three cross-sectional manuscripts were excluded from this article. A synopsis of all 9 original articles can be found in the following book that was recently published (Granacher, 2011).

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Granacher, U. Effects of balance and resistance training in children, adolescents, and seniors. Sportwiss 42, 17–29 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-011-0218-4

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