Exercise Based on Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation in Older Individuals

The goal of this clinical trial was to determine whether an intervention using resisted sit-to-stand and walking exercises with Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) techniques improved gait and sit-to-stand in older individuals with poor functional capacity compared to a control group that performed the same activities, but without manual resistance. The main questions it aimed to answer were: Did an exercise program based on the PNF concept improve functional capacity and strength performance? Was there a difference between an exercise program with or without PNF techniques on functional capacity and strength in older adults? Researchers compared the effects of an exercise program based on the PNF concept to a similar exercise training without manual resistance on functional capacity and strength performance. Participants participated in an intervention using resisted sit-to-stand and walking exercises with or without PNF and performed functional capacity and strength tests at the beginning and end of the intervention.

The proposal consisted of investigating an exercise intervention based on the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation concept (PFNG), compared to a control group (CG), which performed the same exercises as PNFG under a therapist's supervision, but without resistance imposed by the therapist's hands as in PFNG, in older individuals. Before data collection, individuals participated in a familiarization procedure for each test. Each specific test was conducted on the same equipment with identical participant/equipment positioning. Functional assessment and intervention were conducted at the participants' residences. The CG intervention consisted of the same activities carried out in the PNFG during Stages 1 and 2, for the same amount of minutes, sessions, and weeks. However, the CG intervention did not include specific techniques and basic principles (i.e., approximation and optimal resistance) and procedures of the PNF concept. The activities were instructed and supervised by a trained professional through verbal commands. The professional was in a stand-by assistant position to prevent accidents. Each intervention lasted 30 minutes and took place twice a week, for 4 weeks, totaling 8 meetings. The interventions were supervised by researchers blinded to pre-intervention assessment results and randomly assigned for both PNF and control groups. The researchers responsible for the interventions were physical therapists with basic IPNFA® (International Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Association) instruction.