The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a Pilates exercises program on the cognitive and physical functioning of older Spanish women. This study is a randomized clinical trial; a total of 110 women aged ≥60 years were initially allocated to either a Pilates group (PG, n = 55), who underwent a 12-week Pilates exercise program, or to a control group (CG, n = 55), who did not receive any intervention. Global cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination), verbal fluency (Isaacs test), executive function (Trail Making Test), functional flexibility (Back Scratch Test and Chair Sit-and-Reach Test), and lower-body strength (30 s Chair-Stand Test) were assessed before and immediately after the intervention period. The main findings of this study suggest that women in the PG (within-group differences) experienced improvements across all the variables examined except for global cognitive function. When compared with the CG (between-group differences), our analysis revealed significant benefits in the PG for all measures except for global cognitive function and functional flexibility (Back Scratch Test). In conclusion, our results suggest that Pilates has the potential to improve both cognitive and functional abilities among Spanish women aged 60 years and over.

Patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis (KOA) have been shown to have quadriceps muscle weakness and/or atrophy in common. The physiological mechanisms of blood flow restriction (BFR) training could facilitate muscle hypertrophy. The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate the effects of BFR training on quadriceps cross-sectional area (CSA), pain perception, function and quality of life on these patients compared to a non-BFR training. A literature research was performed using Web of Science, PEDro, Scopus, MEDLINE, Dialnet, CINAHL and The Cochrane Library databases. The main inclusion criteria were that papers were English or Spanish language reports of randomized controlled trials involving patients with ACL reconstruction or suffering from KOA. The initial research identified 159 publications from all databases; 10 articles were finally included. The search was conducted from April to June 2020. Four of these studies found a significant improvement in strength. A significant increase in CSA was found in two studies. Pain significantly improved in four studies and only one study showed a significant improvement in functionality/quality of life. Low-load training with BFR may be an effective option treatment for increasing quadriceps strength and CSA, but more research is needed.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 12-week high-intensity interval exercise (HIIT) training program involving suspension exercises (TRX) on the muscle strength, body composition, gait speed, and quality of life of older adults. A total of 82 older adults were randomly assigned to 3 groups: a HIIT group (n=28), a continuous intensity training group (MIIT group, n=27), or a control group (CG, n=27). Compared to MIIT and CG, participants of the HIIT group showed significant post-intervention improvements in BMI (p=.002 and p<.001, respectively) and gait speed (p<.001 for both). Handgrip strength increase was also observed after HIIT (p=.002), but no differences were observed with MIIT and CG. Compared with MIIT and control groups, HIIT showed improvements in the SF-36 domains: general health (p<.001 for both) health changes (p<.001 for both), vitality (p=.002 and p=.001 respectively) and physical functioning (p=.036 and p<.001 respectively). Our results suggest that a HIIT training program with TRX have benefits in BMI, handgrip strength, gait speed, and quality of life in older adults.

Virtual reality (VR) therapies are presently utilized to treat physical and cognitive impairments among elderly people. This systematic review aims to collect the most recent evidence on the effectiveness of VR in improving balance and gait among healthy elderly individuals, in comparison with other therapies. A literature search was conducted using the PubMed, SCOPUS, PEDro, and WoS databases, by selecting randomized clinical trials that evaluated balance, both static and dynamic, as well as gait in a population of healthy older adults who underwent virtual reality therapy. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the PEDro scale. After eligibility criteria were applied and duplicates were removed, 20 studies were selected out of 1705 initially identified. The present systematic review concludes that virtual reality therapy is more effective than minimal intervention or usual care in enhancing static balance, dynamic balance, and gait in healthy elderly individuals. Moreover, virtual reality therapy yields better outcomes compared to traditional balance training and physical exercise in improving balance and gait in this demographic. However, both methods have shown effectiveness.