BENEFITS OF MUSCLE STRENGTHENING IN ELDERLY WITH SARCOPENIA: BIBLIOGRAPHIC REVIEW

Abstract

Introduction: Aging is associated with several physical and physiological changes, among them there is the loss of muscle mass and consequently of function, which is called sarcopenia. In the elderly, it is multifactorial, it can be enhanced by nutritional, hormonal, endocrine, neurological, obesity, immunological, cardiovascular, pulmonary diseases and factors and an inadequate lifestyle. Sarcopenia is manifested with the appearance of various disorders such as: gait instability, weakness and slowness when walking, frequent falls, loss of weight or muscle mass, difficulties in climbing stairs, carrying heavy objects and standing up from a chair alone. Among the existing treatments, strength training in the elderly is an exercise type that has been shown to be effective in delaying the decline in strength and muscle mass, patients present an improvement in gait, balance and reduce the risk of falls. Objective: This study aims to discover which dysfunctions sarcopenia causes in the elderly, demonstrate the importance of physical therapy and analyze the benefits of physical therapy intervention. Methodology: this is a narrative review of the literature, where the survey was carried out through the platforms: Scientific Electronic Libray Online (Scielo), periodicals of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Academic Google and Geriatric Books. The descriptors used were: Sarcopenia; Physiotherapy in Sarcopenic Elderly and Physiotherapy in Sarcopenia, articles from 2011 to 2021 being selected. Conclusion: Therefore, resistance exercises play an important role in physiotherapeutic treatment, proving that they are essential to prevent and control sarcopenia.