Risco de quedas em pessoas idosas praticantes de pilates: uma revisão integrativa

Abstract

The increase in the older population in Brazil has brought consequences, among them, the increased risk of falls and their complications on the health of individuals. In the perspective of healthy aging, there is a search for physical activities such as Pilates, which has shown benefits such as reducing the risk of falls and improving quality of life. Objective: To evaluate the influence of Pilates practice in reducing the risk of falls in older adults. Method: A thorough search was carried out in the PubMed, Scielo and Google Scholar databases for research involving Pilates activity and the risk of falls. The descriptors adopted were: “Quedas”, “Idoso”, “Método Pilates” (in Portuguese) and “Fall”, “older adult”, “Pilates Method” (in English). The research question was: “Does the risk of falls reduce in elderly people who practice Pilates?”. Results: A total of 9,062 articles were found, and only 6 were included in the research. Among the findings, there was an improvement in sensory response, functionality and pain, as well as an improvement in postural control. All observed a reduction in the risk of falls. Conclusion: It can be inferred that the practice of Pilates appears to reduce the risk of falls in older adults when performed between 8 weeks and 6 months, considering mainly the improvement in postural control.