By John Gever, Senior Editor, MedPage Today
Published: April 15, 2009WHEELING, W.Va., April 15 -- At least three different types of exercise programs significantly reduce the risk of falls in the elderly, a Cochrane meta-analysis found.
Individually prescribed home exercise regimens and two forms of group exercise, including Tai Chi, reduced both rates of falls and the risk of falling, according to Lesley D. Gillespie, of Dunedin Medical School in Otago, New Zealand, and colleagues.
They reported their findings online in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
The reductions in fall risk, calculated from pooled data, ranged from 17% for multicomponent group exercise (95% CI 3% to 28%) to 35% for Tai Chi (95% CI 18% to 49%).
"The effect of exercise programmes in reducing the risk and rate of falling should now be regarded as established," the researchers wrote.
However, they cautioned that these interventions may be less effective in people with severe vision or mobility problems......
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