The efficacy of home-based muscle training for the elderly osteoporotic women: the effects of daily muscle training on quality of life (QoL).

There is little evidence that home-based muscle training through exercise improves the muscle strength and QoL of elderly osteoporotic women. The efficacy of home-based daily exercise on muscle strength of the upper and lower extremities and QoL were examined in elderly osteoporotic women by means of a case-controlled study that was designed and conducted between 2005 and 2006. Sixty-three osteoporotic women over 60 years of age were randomly assigned to 12 months of muscle exercise or to no intervention. The outcomes were changes in muscle strength and quality of life (QoL). Ultimately, sixty-two participants completed the 12 months program. Before the start of home-exercise training, the lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) and femoral neck BMD values in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group (p<0.05). Grip strength and maximum walking speed increased significantly in the intervention group (p<0.05). In terms of QoL, physical functioning was improved by home-based exercise in the intervention group (p=0.05), while there were no improvements in any of the categories of Short-Form 36 in the control group. Our results suggest that home-based training is effective for elderly osteoporotic women in improving not only muscle strength in upper and lower extremities but also physical functioning in QoL.

[Relationship between activity of daily living and motor function in the community-dwelling elderly after hip fracture].

AIM: To clarify the relationship between ADL and motor functions in 44 community-dwelling elderly patients with hip fracture. METHODS: The questionnaire comprised items on BADL, IADL, ability to walk, and certification for long-term care. The assessment of motor functions included grip strength, knee extension strength, 10 m walking time, TUG, FRT, and Romberg rate and shift length of the center of gravity measured by a stabilometer. Based on these tests, relationships between the motor functions and ADL were evaluated in elderly patients after hip fracture. RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between BADL and grip strength, knee extension strength, and FRT. As for IADL, significant correlations were found with grip strength, knee extension strength, 10-m walking speed, TUG, FRT, and MMSE items. Similarly, regarding ability to walk and the certification of long-term care, significant correlations were shown with grip strength, knee extension strength, 10 m walking speed, and MMSE items. CONCLUSION: The relationships between ADL and motor functions were confirmed in community-dwelling elderly patients with hip fracture. The parameters related to muscle strength and balance ability that were assessed in this study are those that can be improved through constant training after discharge from hospital. The validity of these parameters as the indices for future intervention studies to assess the maintenance and improvement of ADL after discharge and prognosis was indicated.