It is also possible that PRT alone is not a robust intervention for balance control .
This is the first systematic synthesis of the literature to examine the effectiveness of PRT alone on balance performance in older adults .
The limited evidence presented in currently published data has not consistently shown that the use of PRT in isolation improves balance in this population .
The serious health , social and economic consequences of falls are well documented .
Lower extremity muscle weakness and power as well as balance impairment are major independent intrinsic contributors to falls and amenable to intervention .
Progressive resistance training ( PRT ) is widely accepted as an appropriate modality for treating sarcopenia and has been reported to improve balance .
However , other studies affirm no significant effect of PRT on balance .
To date , there is no clear , definitive statement or synthesis of studies that has examined the effect of PRT on balance .
Therefore , our objective was to systematic ally review the literature to probe the merit of PRT as a single intervention on balance performance in older adults .
The effect of group exercise on physical functioning and falls in frail older people living in retirement villages: a randomized, controlled trial.
OBJECTIVES To determine whether a 12-month program of group exercise can improve physical functioning and reduce the rate of falling in frail older people . DESIGN Cluster r and omized , controlled trial of 12 months duration . SETTING Retirement villages in Sydney and Wollongong , Australia . PARTICIPANTS Five hundred fifty-one people aged 62 to 95 ( mean+/-st and ard deviation=79.5+/-6.4 ) who were living in self- and intermediate-care retirement villages . MEASUREMENTS Accidental falls , choice stepping reaction time , 6-minute walk distance postural sway , leaning balance , simple reaction time , and lower-limb muscle strength . RESULTS Two hundred eighty subjects were r and omized to the weight-bearing group exercise ( GE ) intervention  that was design ed to improve the ability of subjects to undertake activities for daily living . Subjects r and omized to the control arm ( n=271 ) attended flexibility and relaxation ( FR ) classes ( n=90 ) or did not participate in a group activity ( n=181 ) . In spite of the reduced precision of cluster r and omization , there were few differences in the baseline characteristics of the GE and combined control ( CC ) subjects , although the mean age of the GE group was higher than that of the CC group , and there were fewer men in the GE group . The mean number of classes attended was 39.4+/-28.7 for the GE subjects and 31.5+/-25.2 for the FR subjects . After adjusting for age and sex , there were 22 % fewer falls during the trial in the GE group than in the CC group ( incident rate ratio=0.78 , 95 % confidence interval (CI)=0.62 - 0.99 ) , and 31 % fewer falls in the 173 subjects who had fallen in the past year ( incident rate ratio=0.69 , 95 % CI=0.48 - 0.99 ) . At 6-month retest , the GE group performed significantly better than the CC group in tests of choice stepping reaction time , 6-minute walking distance , and simple reaction time requiring a h and press . The groups did not differ at retest in tests of strength , sway , or leaning balance . CONCLUSION These findings show that group exercise can prevent falls and maintain physical functioning in frail older people
It is also possible that PRT alone is not a robust intervention for balance control .
This is the first systematic synthesis of the literature to examine the effectiveness of PRT alone on balance performance in older adults .
The limited evidence presented in currently published data has not consistently shown that the use of PRT in isolation improves balance in this population .
The serious health , social and economic consequences of falls are well documented .
Lower extremity muscle weakness and power as well as balance impairment are major independent intrinsic contributors to falls and amenable to intervention .
Progressive resistance training ( PRT ) is widely accepted as an appropriate modality for treating sarcopenia and has been reported to improve balance .
However , other studies affirm no significant effect of PRT on balance .
To date , there is no clear , definitive statement or synthesis of studies that has examined the effect of PRT on balance .
Therefore , our objective was to systematic ally review the literature to probe the merit of PRT as a single intervention on balance performance in older adults .