Efeito do envelhecimento e da prática regular de exercícios físicos sobre componentes neuromusculares em mulheres idosas

Abstract

Introduction: Changes caused by advancing of age can had a greater impact on neuromuscular components in older adults, which are crucial for a safe and independent performance of daily life activities. However, only a few studies investigated these longitudinal changes, mainly analyzing the impact of exercise practice (EP). Purpose: To verify the effect of aging and EP on neuromuscular components, through functional tests, in older women. Methods: The baseline was conducted on 2005-2006 and the follow-up on 2011. Sixty-three older women completed all neuromuscular tests. The sample was divided by their self-report of EP in groups: inactive, insufficient and sufficient active. It was measured isometric strength, lower and upper body strength, and balance (Ba). It was used the descriptive and inferential statistical with the repeated-measures MANOVA (time between evaluations and groups effects), one-way ANOVA, Paired t-test, and Pearson correlation. Results: All EP groups, in all neuromuscular components (except to Ba), had significant declines across the time, but there was stabilization on isometric strength in the sufficient active group. There was a significant correlation between all variables (except between isometric and lower body strength). Conclusion: The advancing of age affect negatively neuromuscular components, and the components are all correlated. Nonetheless, older women who are sufficient active had attenuated these changes and had stabilized isometric strength. Therefore, it is recommended that public health institutions motivating exercise practice in older women with the purpose to attenuate those changes and its negative consequences on mobility and independency.