PHYSICAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS TO PRECRIBE THERAPEUTIC EXERCISE IN THE ELDERLY: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY

Abstract

 Introduction: biological process of aging is associated with structural and functional impairments and aged population is a segment of the population likely to develop chronic diseases and dysfunctions. Regular physical activity considerably reduces this risk but nevertheless, there is a decline in physical activity in this population. The study describes the main characteristics of the sample which makes them likely to benefit from the therapeutic exercise intervention.
Material and method: a sample of 114 subjects was recruited, the following being assessed pain by Visual Analogue Scale, functional capacity by functional tests and range of motion of various joints and personal autonomy. Results:
6 % of the sample performed mild intensity exercise and 65 % of the sample were overweight or obese. Pain pre-valence was 72.8 % and functional tests and range of motion of various joints showed lower values than the observed in the literature. The sample had mean values of personal autonomy. Conclusions: the sample was representative of the aging population, however, high values of BMI and pain and low values of functionality were observed. These are typical findings of aging which may influence the normal functioning of the individual, so that the study sample could represent a sample likely to benefit from the performance of therapeutic exercise.