Effects of Low-Impact Dance on Blood Biochemistry, Bone Mineral Density, the Joint Range of Motion of Lower Extremities, Knee Extension Torque, and Fall in Females

Abstract

The effect of low-impact dance on blood metabolites, the joint range of motion (ROM) of the lower extremities, knee extension torque, bone mass density (BMD), the number of falls, and the confidence to perform daily activities (Modified Falls Efficacy Scale [MFES]) was examined in older sedentary women (age: 59 ± 4 years) before and after a 16-week intervention. Results showed that the average score for the MFES, some parameters of blood chemistry, and joint ROM were significantly improved after low-impact intervention. In addition to improvements in blood lipids and body fat percentages, the increases shown in the parameters regarding the lower extremities may contribute to confidence in performing common daily activities in older women, although the number of falls did not significantly differ between the two groups during the 16-week period.

Dance movement therapy and falls prevention

“…Within our review, we found some evidence to suggest that dance may improve fear of falling, with two out of three studies [19,23] demonstrating that dance was more effective than control conditions. This is perhaps not surprising, given that exercise has established benefits on reducing fear of falling and its associated constructs in older adults.…”

“…Altogether, the searches yielded 272 non-duplicated articles. After excluding 262 articles based on title/abstract review, 10 articles were retrieved for full text review and six were included in the qualitative synthesis [18][19][20][21][22][23] (Figure 1).…”

“…On the contrary, dancing was able to improve fear of falling compared to control group in two RCTs [19,23], but no in another one [22] (Table 2).…”

“…Taking fall incidence as outcome, one study [18] reported a significantly lower incidence of falls in dancing group compared to control group, whilst the other three RCTs [19][20][21] reported a similar incidence rate between dancing and control groups ( Table 2).…”

Perceived consequences of ageing with late effects of polio and strategies for managing daily life: a qualitative study

“…Among people ageing with LEoP, the chances of living a healthy life in terms of physical activities may be reduced by the increased disability [ 12 ]. In addition, psychological factors, such as feeling ashamed or uncomfortable, fear of injuries, lack of motivation and energy, together with environmental factors are perceived as barriers for physical activities and participation [ 13 – 15 ]. Overall, this may lead to an uncontrolled downward spiral during which these individuals are in need of rehabilitation.…”