Effects of physical exercise on gait speed in cognitively impaired older people: systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24310/riccafd.14.1.2025.20853Keywords:
ageing, aged, walking speed, exercise, physical activityAbstract
Objective: To analyze the effects of physical exercise on gait speed in older people with cognitive impairment through a systematic review of the literature.
Materials: A search was carried out in databases such as Medline (PubMed) and Scopus, limiting the search to studies published in the last five years that included participants older than 60 years with cognitive impairment. The terms and combination of operators were as follows: (Exercise) AND (gait speed) AND ((elderly OR older people OR aged) AND cognitive impairment). Specific inclusion criteria were applied to select experimental studies where physical exercise was the main intervention and gait speed the dependent variable. The methodological quality and risk of bias of the selected studies were assessed using the ROBINS-I scale.
Results: Seventy-eight articles were retrieved, of which nine met the inclusion criteria. These studies showed that physical exercise, especially those combining resistance training and dual tasks, achieved significant improvements in gait speed, with increases between 6% and 12%. Most studies had a low risk of bias.
Conclusion: Physical exercise programs, especially those integrating endurance modality and dual tasks, are effective in improving gait speed in older people with cognitive impairment, they promote neurophysiological adaptations that support gait control.
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