The relationship between physical condition and change in balance functions on exercise intervention and 12-month follow-up in Japanese community-dwelling older people

The purposes of this study were to describe the change in balance functions of elderly people and to evaluate the relationship between physical conditions and changes in balance measurements after exercise intervention and 12-month follow-up. One hundred and fifty-one subjects aged 60 and older practised exercise intervention for 3 months. The measurements of balance functions were one-legged standing with eyes open and closed (OLS-O, OLS-C), a functional reach test (FR), and a timed up and go test (TUG). The other measurements were maximum walking velocity, flexibility, and muscle strength. We evaluated the associations between the physical performance measurements and changes in the balance measurements. All the four balance measurements were significantly improved after intervention. The magnitude of the changes in OLS-O and FR after the intervention showed some negative correlations with the initial physical performance measurements, but OLS-C showed some positive correlations. In addition, the changes in four balance measurements 12 months after the intervention showed some negative correlations to the physical measurements at post-investigation. These results suggested that specific approaches that adapt the task of balance training to the fitness level of each subject are needed to effectively improve the balance function of older people.