Effectiveness of physical therapy in association with dance in healthy elderly: a randomized clinical trial

Objective: Verify the physical therapy associated with dance effectiveness in terms of balance, flexibility and agility in healthy seniors. Methods: Randomized controlled trial whose sample was divided into two groups: control (GC; 7W/4M; age= 74.1±7.3; n=11) and intervention (GI; 9W/2M; age= 75.7±7.8; n=11). Participants underwent the following types of evaluation in pre and post intervention phases: balance assessment by Berg balance scale, agility according to the Timed Up and Go test and flexibility according to the Wells Bank. A program consisting of 16 therapies with 60 minutes long twice a week followed a protocol of evolution based on the complexity of the exercises and with the aim of stimulating balance, functional independence and muscle stretching. The statistical analysis was performed using software SPSS 15.0 and were used the Mann-Whitney test to compare the groups and Wilcoxon tests to compare pre and post intervention, with significance level of 5%. Results: The intervention group showed improved balance (p=0.04), flexibility (p=0.01) and agility (p=0.03) when compared to the control group. The control group showed improvement in the flexibility levels (p=0.01). Conclusion: The proposed program was effective in terms of improving balance, flexibility and agility among participants. It is expected that this study can contribute to future research and clinical practice about the association of physical therapy and dance, as a preventive and rehabilitative treatment options.研究目标：验证与舞蹈相结合的物理疗法对健康老年人平衡能力、柔韧性与敏捷性的改善有效性。 研究方法：本研究为随机对照试验（Randomized Controlled Trial），将研究样本分为两组：对照组（GC；7名女性/4名男性；年龄74.1±7.3岁；样本量n=11）与干预组（GI；9名女性/2名男性；年龄75.7±7.8岁；样本量n=11）。所有参与者在干预前及干预后均接受以下三类评估：平衡能力采用伯格平衡量表（Berg Balance Scale）进行测评，敏捷性采用计时起立行走测试（Timed Up and Go test）进行测评，柔韧性采用韦尔斯银行测试（Wells Bank）进行测评。干预方案包含16次治疗，每次时长60分钟，每周开展2次；该方案基于动作复杂度逐步进阶，旨在提升参与者的平衡能力、功能独立性与肌肉伸展性。本研究采用SPSS 15.0统计软件开展数据分析，组间比较采用曼-惠特尼检验（Mann-Whitney test），干预前后的组内对比采用威尔科克森检验（Wilcoxon tests），显著性水平设定为5%。 研究结果：与对照组相比，干预组的平衡能力（p=0.04）、柔韧性（p=0.01）与敏捷性（p=0.03）均获得显著改善。对照组仅在柔韧性水平上出现显著提升（p=0.01）。 研究结论：本研究所提出的舞蹈结合物理疗法方案可有效提升参与者的平衡能力、柔韧性与敏捷性。本研究有望为未来将舞蹈与物理疗法相结合作为预防及康复治疗手段的相关研究与临床实践提供参考依据。