Longitudinal changes and body composition assessment using bioelectrical impedance in elderly patients with mild disequilibrium and different care needs.
Kazuya Goto, Tatsuro Yamamoto, Momoko Kashiwazaki and 3 others
PMID 30568337WHAT IT FOUND
During follow-up, women with mild disequilibrium and higher care needs had whole-body muscle mass decrease, while women with lower care needs had lower-leg muscle mass increase.
The study did not compare exercise with no exercise.
Key findings
01In C2, whole-body muscle mass differed significantly between 1 month and 9 months, and between 1 month and 12 months, with recorded values of 15.3 kg at 1 month, 14.3 kg at 9 months, and 14.4 kg at 12 months.
02C1 lower-leg muscle mass was marked as significantly different over the year, with recorded values of 2.5 kg at 1 month and 2.8 kg at 12 months.
03At 6 months, trunk muscle mass was reported as significantly lower in C2 than in C1, with recorded values of 6.6 kg in C1 and 5.8 kg in C2.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 20 women were recruited and 18 had 1-year data, so the sample was small. All participants were elderly females with mild disequilibrium, so results may not apply to men or people with more severe care needs. The study excluded people with cerebrovascular disease, cognitive deficits, or pacemakers, so it does not cover many patients seen in rehabilitation. All participants received the same weekly exercise, and there was no untreated comparison group, so the study cannot show that exercise caused any muscle mass change. The paper gives conflicting statements about trunk muscle mass at 6 months, saying C2 was lower in the results and C1 was lower in the discussion. The authors state that the small sample size and longitudinal design make simple comparison difficult. The study did not identify which factors caused care needs, so it cannot explain why C2 had greater whole-body muscle mass change.
Declared interests
The author has no conflict of interest to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the weekly exercise programme caused or prevented muscle mass changes. All participants received the same 1-hour weekly exercise, there was no untreated comparison group, and only 18 participants had 1-year data.