EFFECTS OF AQUATIC EXERCISE ON BALANCE IN ELDERLY A REVIEW

Abstract

Background: The power has a strong relationship with functional capacity more than muscle strength. Objectives: We objective was to investigate the literature how the exercises in water can influence the balance of the elderly. Method: This is a literature review, in which we used the databases indexed in PubMed / MEDLINE, LILACS, Cochrane Library. The keywords used were: aged, hydrotherapy and postural balance and their English equivalents according to DeCS. The following inclusion criteria were: type articles experimental (clinical trials and / or quasi-experimental), those which have been conducted with elderly classified as healthy, without comorbidities that interfere with the achievement of the exercise program. Results: Thirty-seven (37) items initially selected by electronic search in databases, 28 were excluded for the title not meet the criteria for inclusion. Of the 28 studies retained, 5 were excluded for duplicity. 9 studies were selected for a more thorough examination through short, 5 of them being excluded. The 4 remaining articles were evaluated from the reading of the text, and only one was excluded because it is older people who had osteoarthritis. A total of three studies were included: Devereux et al. (2005); Resende et al. (2008); Avelar et al. (2010). The results
of the studies were presented in tables. We found only one controlled trial addressing the issue. Conclusion: However, there is a need for studies that address the changes in the balance of elderly in performing exercises in water with high methodological rigor, and controlled clinical trials.