Effect of Tailored Core Stability Programs in Older Adults

The increase in life expectancy, together with the high levels of physical inactivity in the population over 65 years of age, has generated a significant reduction in the quality of life of elderly people, characterized by the increase in functional dependence and risk of falling. In this sense, falls in this population are a serious public health problem, as they can cause fractures that not only exacerbate functional deterioration but can also lead to death. The current literature shows that low muscle strength and poor trunk stability, caused by aging, are associated with low balance levels and consequently with an increased risk of suffering a fall. Thus, there are many studies that have tried to develop trunk muscle conditioning programs as a preventive tool to improve balance, gait and functional mobility in older people. However, these exercise programs have not always shown as positive results as would be expected. One of the main reasons that could explain the heterogeneity of these results is the lack of valid and reliable protocols to objectively measure the intensity of trunk stabilization exercises. This makes trunk training program control and individualization difficult and hinders the proper dose-response characterization of these programs in older people. Therefore, this project aims to develop new protocols based on low cost and easy to use tools to objectively assess trunk stabilization exercise intensity/difficulty in any sports, geriatric or research facility. This would allow: to perform individualized trunk exercise programs to develop balance, reduce the risk of suffering a fall and improve the quality of life in older people; to increase the replicability of these training programs; and to facilitate, in the future, the establishing of dose/response relationships.