Wii Fit® training vs. Adapted Physical Activities: which one is the most appropriate to improve the balance of independent senior subjects? A randomized controlled study

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of three protocols (Adapted Physical Activities, Wii Fit®, Adapted Physical Activities + Wii Fit®) on the balance of independent senior subjects. Design: Case comparison study. Settings: Healthy elderly subjects living in independent community dwellings. Subjects: Thirty-six subjects, average age 75.09 ± 10.26 years, took part in this study, and were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental groups: G1 followed an Adapted Physical Activities training programme, while the second group (G2) participated in Wii Fit® training and the third one (G3) combined both methods. There was no training for the fourth group (G4). All subjects trained once a week (1 hour) for 20 weeks and were assessed before and after treatment. Main measures: The Tinetti test, unipedal tests and the Wii Fit® tests. Results: After training, the scores in the Tinetti test decreased significantly (P < 0.05) for G1, G2 and G3 respectively in static conditions and for G1 and G3 in dynamic conditions. After training, the performance in the unipedal tests decreased significantly (P < 0.05) for G1 and G3. The position of the centre of gravity was modified significantly (P < 0.05) for G2 and G3. Conclusion: After 20 training sessions, G1 (Adapted Physical Activities), G2 (Wii Fit®) and G3 (Adapted Physical Activities and Wii Fit®) improved their balance. In addition, G1 and G3 increased their dynamic balance. The findings suggest that Adapted Physical Activities training limits the decline in sensorial functions in the elderly.

[1]  L. Rubenstein,et al.  Effects of a group exercise program on strength, mobility, and falls among fall-prone elderly men. , 2000, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[2]  K. Hauer,et al.  Exercise Training for Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention of Falls in Geriatric Patients with a History of Injurious Falls , 2001, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[3]  G E Stelmach,et al.  Postural sway characteristics of the elderly under normal and altered visual and support surface conditions. , 1991, Journal of gerontology.

[4]  M. Tinetti.  Performance‐Oriented Assessment of Mobility Problems in Elderly Patients , 1986, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[5]  S. Kuys,et al.  Is the Wii Fit™ a new-generation tool for improving balance, health and well-being? A pilot study , 2010, Climacteric : the journal of the International Menopause Society.

[6]  S. Furner,et al.  Mortality, disability, and falls in older persons: the role of underlying disease and disability. , 1992, American journal of public health.

[7]  D. Lowenthal,et al.  Resistance Exercise and Physical Performance in Adults Aged 60 to 83 , 2002, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[8]  R. Werner,et al.  Unipedal stance testing as an indicator of fall risk among older outpatients. , 2000, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[9]  A Thevenon,et al.  Identification of healthy elderly fallers and non-fallers by gait analysis under dual-task conditions , 2006, Clinical rehabilitation.

[10]  C. Tudor-Locke,et al.  A randomized outcome evaluation of group exercise programs in long-term care institutions. , 1999, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[11]  N. Alexander,et al.  A clinical measure of maximal and rapid stepping in older women. , 2000, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[12]  Weight Training Improves Walking Endurance in Healthy Elderly Persons , 1996 .

[13]  E H Wagner,et al.  The effect of strength and endurance training on gait, balance, fall risk, and health services use in community-living older adults. , 1997, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[14]  Hulya,et al.  Bmc Public Health the Relationship between Risk Factors for Falling and the Quality of Life in Older Adults , 2022 .

[15]  A. Stand.,et al.  Exercise and physical activity for older adults , 1998 .

[16]  Michelle Fleury,et al.  Availability of visual and proprioceptive afferent messages and postural control in elderly adults , 1996, Experimental Brain Research.

[17]  R. Brand,et al.  The biomechanics and motor control of human gait: Normal, elderly, and pathological , 1992 .

[18]  D. Kahneman.  Attention and Effort , 1973 .

[19]  M. Woollacott,et al.  The effects of two types of cognitive tasks on postural stability in older adults with and without a history of falls. , 1997, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences.

[20]  N Teasdale,et al.  On the cognitive penetrability of posture control. , 1993, Experimental aging research.

[21]  D. Connelly,et al.  Effects of detraining on knee extensor strength and functional mobility in a group of elderly women. , 1997, The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy.

[22]  L. Nashner,et al.  Relation of automatic postural responses and reaction-time voluntary movements of human leg muscles , 2004, Experimental Brain Research.

[23]  Richard A. Brand,et al.  The biomechanics and motor control of human gait: Normal, elderly, and pathological , 1992 .

[24]  C. Bard,et al.  Aging and Postural Control: Postural Perturbations Caused by Changing the Visual Anchor , 1999, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

[25]  W P Blocker,et al.  Maintaining functional independence by mobilizing the aged. , 1992, Geriatrics.

[26]  M. Mcmurdo,et al.  Improvements in quadriceps strength with regular seated exercise in the institutionalized elderly. , 1994, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[27]  A. Thevenon,et al.  Effects of physical training on the physical capacity of frail, demented patients with a history of falling: a randomised controlled trial. , 2003, Age and ageing.

[28]  S. Folstein,et al.  "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. , 1975, Journal of psychiatric research.

[29]  W. Applegate,et al.  A randomized trial comparing aerobic exercise and resistance exercise with a health education program in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. The Fitness Arthritis and Seniors Trial (FAST). , 1997, JAMA.

[30]  K. Yano,et al.  Effects of walking on mortality among nonsmoking retired men. , 1998, The New England journal of medicine.

[31]  G. Salem,et al.  American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. , 2009, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[32]  M A Province,et al.  The effects of exercise on falls in elderly patients. A preplanned meta-analysis of the FICSIT Trials. Frailty and Injuries: Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques. , 1995, JAMA.

[33]  A. Thevenon,et al.  Effects of training and detraining on the static and dynamic balance in elderly fallers and non-fallers: A pilot study , 2006, Disability and rehabilitation.

[34]  R. Baumgartner,et al.  One‐Leg Balance Is an Important Predictor of Injurious Falls in Older Persons , 1997, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.