Strength Training as an Assistant Tool in the Prevention of Falls in Elderly Sarcopenics: a Review

Abstract

An elderly society has been growing gradually in Brazil and after retirement some tend to show levels of sedentary behavior index. In addition, the aging process creates a weakness in physical and emotional health, in addition to other things, the increase in the number of falls, caused by dysfunction and loss of muscle mass, called Sarcopenia. Considering all the benefits of strength training for the most varied audiences and that the aging process is gradual and irreversible resulting in the development of Sarcopenia that tends to worsen with the lack of physical exercises, the objective of this study was to investigate how strength training can generate benefits in elderly people who present with Sarcopenia and promote the reduction of falls. From a literature review in the Scielo and PubMed databases, eight articles were selected to compose the results. Thus, it was possible to conclude that this protocol is known as an alternative for the prevention of falls due to Sarcopenia, since it is capable of promoting a significant increase in muscle mass, as well as improving the balance and functional capacity of the elderly.