Piano helps prevent falls while exercising

GENEVA, Switzerland, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Exercising to piano music appears to help reduce falls in older adults, Swiss researchers say.

Researchers led by Dr. Andrea Trombetti of University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine in Geneva, Switzerland, found a music-based, multi-faceted exercise program reduced the rate of falling in elderly adults and improved their mobility -- in particular gait and balance.

The randomized and controlled, six-month trial, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found participants in once-a-week music-based exercise classes over a six-month period improved balance and functional tests versus the control group. There were fewer falls in the intervention group, as well as a lower rate of falling.

"Our findings suggest that this program may be useful for fall prevention and rehabilitation in community-based setting such as senior centers," the authors say in a statement.

Trombetti and colleagues randomly assigned older adults to either the music/exercise program or a delayed intervention control group.

For the first six months, adults in the intervention group participated in an instructor-led program, which gradually became more difficult over time. These exercises included walking in time to the piano music and responding to changes in the music's rhythm.