Combined resistance and balance-jumping exercise reduces older women's injurious falls and fractures: 5-year follow-up study

145 home-dwelling elderly women were randomized to one of four exercise groups: resistance training, balance-jumping training, a combination of both routines, or no exercise training. Participants underwent exercise programs for 1 year and were followed for 5 years, in order to determine the effects of exercise programs on the rate of injurious falls and fractures in elderly women. The primary outcome of interest was rate of women who had at least one injurious fall. The combined training group was found to have a lower rate of injured fallers, risk of injurious falls, and risk of fracture compared to the group receiving no exercise program. Neither the resistance training or balance-jumping training groups, alone, showed a significant difference in outcomes compared to the no exercise group.