title: Strategic targeted exercise for preventing falls in elderly people.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Randomized, controlled, blinded trial to evaluate the effectiveness of strategic targeted exercise for preventing falls in elderly people.
  
  
  METHODS
  Elderly people were randomly allocated to either a control group that received conventional exercise, or a training group that received conventional exercise plus proprioception and cognitive exercises. Subjects were asked to exercise three times a week (40 min per session) for 8 weeks. In the pre- and post-training sessions, all participants were assessed using a static postural control test with eyes open and closed, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the joint position sense test of the lower limbs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 8 weeks, there were statistically significant improvements in the training group (n = 50) compared with the control group (n = 50) for mediolateral sway distance with eyes open and eyes closed, anteroposterior sway distance with eyes open but not with eyes closed, BBS scores and joint position sense test for the left but not the right knee.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that strategic targeted exercise could produce more beneficial effects on balance and proprioception function than conventional exercise alone, in elderly people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Jiejiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Yujian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Yinghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Haimin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Xueqiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yujing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Zhuowei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003710:Demography; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Elderly people; balance; conventional exercise; falls; proprioception; strategic targeted exercise