Randomized placebo-controlled trial of brisk walking in the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Abstract

the promotion of exercise through brisk-walking advice given by nursing staff may have a small, but clinically important, impact on bone mineral density but is associated with an increased risk of falls. Self-paced brisk walking is difficult to evaluate in randomized controlled trials because of drop-outs, placebo group exercise, limited compliance and lack of standardization of the duration and intensity of walking. Further work is needed to evaluate the best means of safely achieving increased activity levels in different groups, such as older women and those at high risk of fractures.

Fall-related factors among less and more active older outpatients

“…In contrast, some studies revealed an increase in falls and injuries among an intervention group which was encouraged to become more physically active 22,23 . Therefore, clinical studies with a multifactorial approach that investigate the characteristics of fallers with different levels of physical activity could offer some insight for rehabilitation and preventive interventions in older adults.…”

Effects of exercise programs on falls and mobility in frail and pre-frail older adults: a multicenter randomized controlled trial

“…18 An increased fall risk for frail elderly induced by exercise interventions, which was found in our frail subgroup, has been reported by several researchers. [49][50][51] On the other hand, the reduction of fall rate by 61%, as established in our pre-frail subgroup, is highly promising when compared with the effects of other effective exercise interventions. 19,[52][53][54][55][56] Furthermore, based on our results, exercise programs should last at least 3 months before a beneficial effect on falling can be expected.…”

The Benefits of Physical Activity on Climacteric Women

“…A 4-hour walking per week showed to be associated to a 41% less hip fracture risk compared to less than 1-hour per week [22]. In the same perspective, 40-minute brisk walking, three times a week, promoted a clinical improvement on the femoral neck BMD and a 35% reduction on the risk of fall on the elderly after 2 years of exercise [23]. G1: a tendency on the increase of the BMD of the femoral neck; increase on the lumbar BMD in both groups, however not statistically signiicant…”