The effect of vestibular-aerobic exercise program on postural balance in older adults

Objective: Falls are one of the most common health problems in older people and can be life threatening. This study aimed to determine the effects of a vestibular-aerobic exercise program on postural balance in older adults. Design: One group pre-post test study. Methods: A total of 23 older adults participated in the study. The vestibular-aerobic exercise program consisted of 60 minutes of warm-up, exercise, and cool-down twice perweek for six weeks. The warm-up and cool-down consisted of light whole-body stretching and the main exercises consisted of vestibular, aerobic, and alternative exercises. The vestibular exercises included, holding the head up and moving the eyes in different directions, fixing the gaze and moving the head, and moving the gaze and head in opposite directions. The aerobic exercises were set to music and increased in difficulty after every four sessions. Alternative exercises included the vestibular exercises in a standing position, with the addition of standing with the eyes closed, heel raises, and a tandem stance. The primary outcomes were postural balance and fall efficiency. Secondary outcomes were knee and ankle proprioception and gait, and assessements were performed before and after the intervention. Results: Postural balance, fall efficiency, and gait significantly improved after the vestibular-aerobic exercise program (all p<0.05). Proprioception significantly improved at the knee joint (p<0.05) but not at the ankle joint (p>0.05). Conclusions: This study showed that a vestibular-aerobic exercise program is effective for improving postural balance in older adults.