Reversing frailty: the transformative effects of structured physical-activity-based physiotherapy on physical, cognitive and emotional health in older adults - an evidence-based systematic review

Key Points

1. Resistance training improves muscle strength and reduces frailty by up to 35%.

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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE

Physical therapy, particularly physical activity and exercise, are essential components of addressing an individual’s level of frailty (1,2). However, evidence regarding the ability to reverse frailty is fragmented.

In general, the literature appears to agree that if frailty is identified early (i.e. during pre-frailty), then the individual’s frailty can be reversed (1,2). Furthermore, how someone is identified as frail is very variable and this also impacts if and how an individual’s level of frailty may be reversed.

This study examined the effectiveness of structured physical-activity physiotherapy in reducing frailty and improving physical, cognitive, and emotional outcomes for individuals aged 60 and older. It also identifies gaps by comparing intervention effects between phenotype-based and deficit-accumulation frailty models.

The literature appears to agree that if frailty is identified early (i.e. during pre-frailty), then the individual’s frailty can be reversed.

Targeted, supervised exercise (especially resistance training) can reverse physical frailty, boost strength by up to 40%, and cut falls by a third, proving specificity is key in combating age-related decline.

METHODS

Design: Systematic review

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