Progressive Balance Training Program Prevents Injurious Falls in Older Women

Randomized trials have shown that exercise programs that emphasize balance training lower risk for falls in community-dwelling elders. However, these trials generally have lacked power to determine whether such programs prevent injurious falls. In this multicenter controlled trial from France, 706 older women (age, 75–85) with diminished balance or gait capacities and living in their own homes were assigned randomly to a 2-year progressive balance training program or no intervention (control group). Balance training consisted of weekly supervised group sessions supplemented by individually prescribed home exercises. All participants received information about fall prevention. Injurious falls were categorized as moderate (e.g., those resulti…