Postural Balance in Older Adults Engaging in Aquatic Activities: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Life expectancy has increased in the last years and consequently the concern with healthy aging. An important factor for elderly’s health is the postural balance, as it contributes to greater independence throughout life. Physical exercise works as a protective factor for delaying and/or reducing possible deleterious effects on postural balance. Among of physical exercises modalities used for balance development, water exercise stands out due to the extra challenges to the maintenance and constant reestablishment of postural control provided by the liquid environment. Objective: This study aimed to carry out a systematic review regarding the effects of water-based training on postural balance of the elderly. Methodology: The search was carried out in the SCIELO, PUBMED and BIREME databases, with the combination terms “water exercise” or “aquatic exercise”, “elderly” or “aged” and “balance”. From a total of 612 articles, 15 were considered eligible for the study. Results: It was observed that 6 or more training weeks, with a minimum of twice a week frequency, in classes from 40 to 60 minutes can be enough to observe the effects of the exercise on the postural balance of the elderly. The greater effect was found in the dynamic balance, justified by the stimuli provided by the water physical properties. Conclusion: The study concluded that water-based training, due to environment that occurs, is an exercise that can be advantageous to improve postural balance in the elderly.