Efeito do treinamento da realização de dupla tarefa minimizando o risco de quedas em idosos da comunidade: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

The falls to elderly people are common and progressively increase with age in both sexes. Those are the major causes of morbidity and mortality, wich tends to happens at the simultaneous execution of many tasks, running with motor control and/or cognitive tasks. This simultaneous execution influence the postural control according to the complexity of the task. The objective of this study was to investigate whether training in the dual task conditions minimizes the risk of falls in the elderly in the community. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the literature in MEDLINE (PubMed), BIREME and PEDro, with studies reporting the effect of dual task training on the risk of falls among older adults, the elderly aged 60 or more randomized clinical trials, articles in English and Spanish, and original full papers without limitation the publication year. Results: Six studies were included in this review, respecting the criteria for inclusion. Four studies found improvements in gait performance, four showed improvement in the balance, two showed improvements in cognitive function and only one revealed that training decreased the rate of falls. Conclusion: Balance training in dual task conditions was effective in improving balance, gait and reduce the risk of falls in elderly people in the community, but others still need more studies to prove its effectiveness in the risk of falls and cognitive function.