Name: LEONARDO ARAUJO VIEIRA
Publication date: 17/05/2019
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| NATALIA MADALENA RINALDI | Advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| NATALIA MADALENA RINALDI | Advisor * |
Summary: Introduction: Aging promotes a decline in balance control and muscle function. These factors are related to the occurrence of falls, but are possible to be modified through the practice of exercises. Thus, physical activity programs, such as the Exercise Orientation Service (SOE), can contribute to better performance in balance control and muscle function. In addition, the elderly present alterations in the strategies of postural control, with greater dependence on the hip strategy in relation to the ankle, which seem to be related to the decline in muscular function. However, the influence of hip and knee and ankle muscle strength and power on performance in balance control of active and sedentary elders in different postural tasks has not yet been fully elucidated. Thus, to answer the research questions, the dissertation was divided into 02 studies.. Objectives: Study 1) to evaluate the postural balance and muscle function of the lower limbs of the elderly participants of the multicomponent exercises offered by EOS; Study 2) to evaluate the influence of hip, knee and ankle muscle strength and power in postural balance of active and sedentary elders. Materials and Methods: A total of 61 elderly people participated in the studies. In study 01 the sample was divided into 02 groups: Active (N = 31) and Sedentary (n = 30). In study 02 the sample was grouped into a single group of elderly (n = 61). The balance evaluation was performed using static posturography using a force platform in 08 postural tasks (bipodal base on rigid surface, bipodal base on unstable surface, semitandem base on rigid surface and semitandem base on unstable surface, all performed in conditions with eyes open and closed). An isokinetic dynamometer in the concentric mode was used to evaluate the hip, knee and ankle muscles function. In order to verify possible differences between the groups of variance tests (ANCOVAs and MANCOVAs) were performed in study 01. In study 02 to evaluate the association between the variables of strength and muscular power of hip, knee and ankle and posturographic variables were performed multiple linear regression and correlation tests. A significance level of p≤0.05 was adopted for all analyzes. Results: Study 01 showed that active elderly presented better performance in the assessment of the balance in relation to the sedentary ones, being the differences revealed mainly in the more challenging tasks (that involved decrease of the support base and disturbance in the visual and somatosensory system). Differences were also revealed between the groups in hip, knee and ankle muscle power, with greater muscle power in the active elderly group. Study 02 demonstrated that there is an association between the variables of strength and muscular power of the hip, knee and ankle and balance, and that this association is influenced by the difficulty of the task and the level of physical activity of the elderly. Conclusion: Multicomponent exercises offered by the SOE contribute to a better performance in the control of balance and muscle power of the lower limbs, which may help to prevent falls and improve the quality of life of the elderly. The strength and muscular power of the hip, knee and ankle influences balance control. The association between the variables of muscular function and balance varies according to the difficulty level of the task, and is influenced by the level of physical activity of the elderly.
Key-words: Aging. Postural Balance. Muscle strength. Exercise.
