Supine Exercises for Orthostatic Hypotension in Older Adults

For patients with symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (e.g., related to neuropathy or to central disorders such as Parkinson disease), physical counter-maneuvers such as crossing the legs or flexing the leg muscles immediately on standing can be helpful. But some older patients with comorbidities such as osteoarthritis or problems with balance find these maneuvers difficult to perform while standing. In this study, researchers examined the effect of exercises done just before standing.

Forty-two Italian patients (mean age, 77) with osteoarthritis and orthostatic hypotension of various etiologies were divided into an exercise group and a control group. The exercise patients performed 10 repetitions of flexion and extension of the h…