Efficacy and safety of a simple home-based resistance exercise program for older adults with low muscle mass: a prospective longitudinal clinical trial

This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of a simple home-based resistance exercise program for older adults with low muscle mass, which was defined as appendicular skeletal mass (ASM) measured by bioimpedance analysis lower than 5.7 kg/m2 in females, and lower than 7.0 kg/m2 in males. This home-based resistance exercise program targets 10 muscles with a frequency of 3–5 days/week for 24 weeks. ASM, grip strength, gait speed and functional reach were measured at baseline, 3 and 6 months. The same four outcomes were then remeasured at 9 months to assess long-term effects. A total of 112 participants (average age: 70 years) were recruited. The mean difference between baseline and 6 months was statistically significant for all outcomes, including ASM [0.12 kg/m2: 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.05–0.18; P = 0.001], gait speed (0.19 meter/s: 95% CI, 0.14–0.25; P 
Source: International Journal of Rehabilitation Research - Category: Rehabilitation Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research