More Exercise, Fewer Falls

Falls among older adults are a serious yet common situation, and are a major cause of the loss of the ability to live independently.  Fabienne El-Khoury, from Univ Paris-Sud (France), and colleagues assessed data collected during 17 clinical studies, involving 2195 older men and women, average age 77 years, who participated in exercise programs, along with 2110 people who did not. The researchers found that that the subjects who exercised were about 37% less likely to be injured during the fall, as compared to non-exercisers. The exercise participants were 61% less likely to have broken bones after falls, and 43% less likely to experience a fall severe enough to warrant a hospital visit. The study authors conclude that: “Exercise programmes designed to prevent falls in older adults also seem to prevent injuries caused by falls, including the most severe ones. Such programmes also reduce the rate of falls leading to medical care.”