Exercise in preventing falls and fall related injuries in older people: a review of randomised controlled trials

Objective-To assess the effectiveness of exercise programmes in preventing falls (and/or lowering the risk of falls and fall related injuries) in olde r people. Design-A review of controlled clinical trials designed with the aim of lowe ring the risk of falling and/or fall injuries through an exercise only inte rvention or an intervention that included an exercise component. Main outcome measures-Falls, fall related injuries, time between falls, cos ts, cost effectiveness. Subjects-A total of 4933 men and women aged 60 years and older. Results-Eleven trials meeting the criteria for inclusion were reviewed. Eig ht of these trials had separate exercise interventions, and three used inte rventions with an exercise programme component. Five trials showed a signif icant reduction in the rate of falls or the risk of falling in the interven tion group. Conclusions-Exercise is effective in lowering falls risk in selected groups and should form part of falls prevention programmes. Lowering fall related injuries will reduce health care costs but there is little available infor mation on the costs associated with programme replication or the cost effec tiveness of exercise programmes aimed at preventing falls in older people.