FUNCTIONAL IMPACT OF UNVARYING EXERCISE PROGRAM IN WOMEN AFTER MENOPAUSE

Low bone mass, functional impairment, low muscle strength, and postura l instability are predictors of the risk of fracture in an elderly per son. The purpose of this study was to investigate the functional impac t of an unvarying long-term exercise program to be carried out at home . The exercises had been shown to delay bone loss in an elderly popula tion. At the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Unive rsity of Vienna, postmenopausal women who had been stratified into exe rcise or control groups 5 to 10 yr ago were called in for a follow-up examination. Frequency of training, habits, and pain causing disabilit y in activities of daily living were recorded. Walking velocity, muscl e strength, and postural stability were measured. Functional assessmen t, blood analysis, and x-rays of the spine were performed additionally . One hundred twenty-four women aged 68.3 +/- 6.8 yr (mean +/- SD) und erwent a follow-up investigation at the outpatient clinic. After 7.7 /- 1.1 yr the compliance of the training group was still 36%. Self-cho sen gait velocity was slightly higher in the regular exercisers than i n the controls. No intergroup differences were found for pain induced disability, muscle strength, body sway, and fracture rate. The pain di sability index was significantly associated with corrected self-chosen gait velocity. The results suggest that an unvarying home-based exerc ise program may support general agility but does not yield enough forc e to improve muscle strength and postural stability in healthy, nondis abled, postmenopausal women who start exercising at the age of 60 yr. Further studies are needed to define more appropriate exercise program s for a comprehensive improvement of functional outcome in a populatio n at high risk for osteoporosis.