| Age related sarcopenia contributes to the etiology of falls in older adults. Improving muscle strength and power may mitigate the effects of sarcopenia and improve one's ability to recover from a postural perturbation. A forward leaning task has been used to simulate the biomechanical requirements of a slip, trip or perturbation and quantify maximum recoverable forward lean angle (FLeanmax). We also used a lateral leaning task to determine maximum recoverable lateral lean angle (LLeanmax). Twenty-three older adults (age range 65-79 yrs) were recruited to participate in a six week lower extremity resistance training intervention (three times per week). They were randomly assigned to either strength training (ST) or power training (PT). Measurements of FLeanmax, LLeanmax, strength and power in knee extension and leg press were recorded at baseline and at the completion of the intervention. Fifteen participants completed the study (ST=7, PT=8). Muscle strength and power improved in both groups and there were trends towards greater improvements in strength in the power training group. There were no significant differences in the change in FLeanmax between the strength training group and power training group following training (+3.57° vs. +1.09°, p=0.422) or in LLeanmax (+1.98° vs. 2.82°, p=0.587). These results suggest that strength and power training do not result in different changes in balance recovery in older adults. |
