Progressive resistance strength training for improving physical function in older adults
By Chiung-ju Liu, N. Latham. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2009
1,142 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Background Muscle weakness in old age is associated with physical function decline. Progressive resistance strength training (PRT) exercises are designed to increase strength. Objectives To assess the effects of PRT on older people and identify adverse events. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Bone, Joint and Muscle Trauma Group Specialized Register (to March 2007), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2007, Issue 2), MEDLINE (1966 to May 01, 2008), EMBASE (1980 to February 06 2007), CINAHL (1982 to July 01 2007) and two other electronic databases. We also searched reference lists of articles, reviewed conference abstracts and contacted authors. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials reporting physical outcomes of PRT for older people were included. Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently selected trials, assessed trial quality and extracted data. Data were pooled where appropriate. Main results One hundred and twenty one trials with 6700 participants were included. In most trials, PRT was performed two to three times per week and at a high intensity. PRT resulted in a small but significant improvement in physical ability (33 trials, 2172 participants; SMD 0.14, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.22). Functional limitation measures also showed improvements: e.g. there was a modest improvement in gait speed (24 trials, 1179 participants, MD 0.08 m/s, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.12); and a moderate to large effect for getting out of a chair (11 trials, 384 participants, SMD -0.94, 95% CI -1.49 to -0.38). PRT had a large positive effect on muscle strength (73 trials, 3059 participants, SMD 0.84, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.00). Participants with osteoarthritis reported a reduction in pain following PRT (6 trials, 503 participants, SMD -0.30, 95% CI -0.48 to -0.13). There was no evidence from 10 other trials (587 participants) that PRT had an effect on bodily pain. Adverse events were poorly recorded but adverse events related to musculoskeletal complaints, such as joint pain and muscle soreness, were reported in many of the studies that prospectively defined and monitored these events. Serious adverse events were rare, and no serious events were reported to be directly related to the exercise programme. Authors' conclusions This review provides evidence that PRT is an effective intervention for improving physical functioning in older people, including improving strength and the performance of some simple and complex activities. However, some caution is needed with transferring these exercises for use with clinical populations because adverse events are not adequately reported.
Subfields: Complementary and alternative medicine, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/89208d01ca1d5d0cdc4331b2b2c6659562f06f5a
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Citations in the corpus
- Protein intake and exercise for optimal muscle function with aging: Recommendations from the ESPEN Expert Group (2014, background): “A meta-analysis of studies on progressive resistance training in older adults showed clear benefits for improved physical function [34].”
- Sarcopenia, Dynapenia, and the Impact of Advancing Age on Human Skeletal Muscle Size and Strength; a Quantitative Review (2012, background): “Nevertheless, from a systematic review of 120 trials with 6700 older participants, it has been found that the gains in muscle mass and strength afforded by resistive training are associated with a small but significant improvement in physical performance (e.g., gait and ability to raise from a chair”
- Clinical definition of sarcopenia. (2014, background): “Greater emphasis is needed, therefore, to prevent or postpone as much as possible the onset of sarcopenia among older people, to enhance survival and to reduce the demand for long-term care (39-41).”
- An overview of sarcopenia: facts and numbers on prevalence and clinical impact (2010, background): “Progressive resistance training, performed 2–3 times per week by older people, has been shown to improve gait speed, timed get-up-and-go, climbing stairs, and overall muscle strength [27].”
- Resistance Exercise for Muscular Strength in Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis (2010, positive): “However, whereas previous reviews have restricted the analyses of strength effects to knee extension (Latham, et al., 2003, Latham, et al., 2004, Liu and Latham, 2009), we pooled data across various strength measures, in an effort to enhance external validity.”
- Physical activity in older age: perspectives for healthy ageing and frailty (2016, background): “Risks associated with resistance training have been reviewed in two reports (Liu and Latham 2009, 2010).”
- Quantifying Publication Bias in Meta-Analysis (2017, background): “For the metaanalyses in Liu and Latham (2009), Figure 2(c) shows that its funnel plot is approximately symmetric, so there appears to be no publication bias.”