Martial arts fall training to prevent hip fractures in the elderly

Abstract

MA techniques may be trainable in older individuals, and a better performance may reduce the hip impact force in a volitional sideways fall from a kneeling position. The additional reduction of fear of falling might result in the prevention of falls and related injuries.

Can martial arts techniques reduce fall severity? An in vivo study of femoral loading configurations in sideways falls

“…Previous studies have shown that martial arts (MA) fall techniques decrease the impact forces on the hip in sideways falls by 12-28% in comparison with natural fall arrest strategies (Sabick et al, 1999;Groen et al, 2007). Additionally, it was demonstrated that MA fall techniques were trainable in older individuals (Groen et al, 2010). These results are corroborated by a modelling study of Lo and Ashton-Miller (2008), as they calculated that a similar fall strategy reduced the hip impact force by 56% and suggested that even older persons might be able to use these techniques to prevent hip fractures.…”

Effect of adapted karate training on quality of life and body balance in 50-year-old men

“…Additionally, other martial arts might be seen as fall prevention tools by the learning of safe fall techniques. 21 In light of these issues, it has been hypothesized that karate might be a suitable physical activity for middle-aged people in the long-term prevention of falls.…”

Comparação do equilíbrio dinâmico entre praticantes de Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu com diferentes níveis de experiência

“…Para os autores, o desempenho dos judocas implica em dominar simultaneamente o equilíbrio dinâmico e estático, dado que os movimentos impostos aos atletas são inesperados 9 . Assim, a prática da modalidade esportiva de combate pode ser importante para a melhora do controle do equilíbrio corporal [21][22] , pois permitiria a experiência em padrões posturais que incluem o controle constante do equilíbrio em função de informações sensoriais nem sempre previsíveis ou claramente disponíveis 20,[22][23] . Embora tais inferências decorram de outras modalidades de domínio20,22, cogita-se, considerando os achados do presente estudo, que o treino do BJJ por longo período poderia melhorar, desta forma, a efi ciência no equilíbrio estático e dinâmico dos seus praticantes.…”