Association of balance and cardiorespiratory conditioning techniques reduces risk of falls and improves functional capacity in women

ABSTRACT This study aimed to test the effectiveness of the association of balance training on the ground with cardiorespiratory training in the water on the functional capacity and risk of falls on adult women. This single-blind uncontrolled clinical trial was formed by 24 women (60.79±5.51), subjected to three months of training. Instruments: Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), QuickScreen Clinical Falls Risk Assessment (QSCFRA) and Six-Minute Walk Test (6mwt). Balance improvement was noticed, although without statistical significance. Significant improvement occurred for risk of falls (p<0.001) and 6mwt (p=0.049), with a 39.58±95.5 mean increase of distance covered. Significant correlations happened between 6mwt and pre-training SPPB (r=0.56, p=0.008), age and QSCFRA (r=0.538, p=0.012), and comorbidities and QSCFRA (r=0.696; p=0.006). Effectiveness was observed in association with the proposed training on reduction of risk of falls and functional capacity improvement.