Can exercise help prevent falls in older people living in the community?

Abstract

Compared with very mild exercise or no exercise for older adults (mean age 76 years) living in the community, group‐based and/or individual exercise (including balance and functional exercises or different types of training, mostly during 5 to 130 weeks) led to a lower fall rate (655 vs 850 per 1000 people; all results on average) and to fewer fallers (408 vs 480 per 1000 people) (high‐certainty evidence for both outcomes). Fewer people experienced fall‐related fractures with exercise (47 vs 64 per 1000 people) or falls that required medical attention (129 vs 211 per 1000 people) (low‐certainty evidence for both outcomes).The effect of exercise on falls resulting in hospital admission, on health‐related quality of life, and on adverse events was uncertain. In 14 of 27 trials, there were no adverse events, and the other trials reported mostly non‐serious musculoskeletal problems.