Efeito do exercício domiciliar na melhora da funcionalidade de idosos com sarcopenia: revisão narrativa

Abstract

Longevity is an achievement of the 21st century. Musculoskeletal changes typical of aging, such as the decline in muscle mass and function, added to genetic factors, acquired and behavioral health conditions, predispose to the occurrence of a muscle disease called sarcopenia. Elderly people with this muscle insufficiency are at greater risk of adverse health outcomes, with a consequent negative impact on the individual's life and burden on the health system. The treatment of sarcopenia has physical exercise as one of its pillars, but low accessibility to training centers and adherence to treatment are barriers to the success of physical intervention. In a current pandemic scenario, seeking strategies to optimize the treatment of this muscle disease in the elderly is extremely important. Thus, this narrative review aims to evaluate the effect of home exercise on improving functionality in elderly people with sarcopenia. METHODS: For this narrative review, a search was carried out in the Pedro, Scielo and Pubmed databases of randomized clinical trials published from 2010 to 2022. The keywords “Aged”, “home exercise” and “functionality” were used. RESULTS: Four articles were selected for this review. All of them found positive effects of home exercises in the elderly with sarcopenia. Our findings demonstrate that the home exercise prescription, ranging from 12 to 24 weeks, presents a significant improvement in functionality in elderly people with sarcopenia, in the gait speed tests, Short Physical Performance Battery test and Timed Up and Go test. CONCLUSION: Based on this narrative review, it can be started that home exercises are effective in improving the functionality of the elderly with sarcopenia.