Effects of sedentary condition and longterm physical activity on postural balance and strength responses in elderly subjects

Purpose The aim of this study was to characterise postural control and lower limbs muscular strength in elderly people conditioned to long-term physical activity or sedentariness. Methods Three groups of elderly males’ average age (mean ± SD) (67 ± 5 years) was studied: 11 tennis players (TP), 8 long-distance runners (LD) and 9 sedentary (S). The protocol consisted of standard balance tests with eyes open and closed in bipodalic (60 s) and monopodalic (30 s) conditions. Then, it was required to perform three isometric maximal voluntary contractions (MVCs) at the leg press to select the best one as reference. Postural static balance findings were further compared to a group of 15 young healthy sedentary males (average age 26 ± 1 years) (Y). Results TP showed more stability than S ( p