The lengthening of the life expectancy is leading to physical disability related to the musculoskeletal system, resulting in age-related impairment and loss of motor skills performance, functionality, balance, gait, and independence.1 However, a significant amount of new evidence has been published about the prescription of exercise and physical activity for healthy and older adults with chronic diseases and disabilities.2

The first article of this section describes the features of community-dwelling and institutionalized older adults, reporting the adverse outcomes of this condition and also the importance of evaluating effective interventions to preserve physical function and independence of the elderly people.3 It is important to highlight the specific prescription of physical exercise for institutionalized older adults, considering their frailty and level of education.4 In addition, this issue presents a new technique based on technology to prescribe exercise, reporting the effects of the video game training in the elderly people.

Stroke and Parkinson disease are frequently encountered in the physical therapy practice, and one of the objectives of the physical therapy management is to prescribe physical activities and/or exercise that assist a person in making lifelong changes in activities of daily living as well as preventing falls.5,6 In this perspective, this issue contributes by elucidating mechanisms that are involved in fatigue and the effects of physical activity and exercise on the neuromuscular and movement disorders of the elderly people. It also describes the effect of the approach that removes the weight of the lower limbs, facilitating gait training in patients with Parkinson disease.

In general, the functional performance, balance, and quality of life are the most investigated outcomes in the articles of this section; those that are related to the falls are considered biggest health problems accompanying aging.7

We are pleased to compose this section by complementing the knowledge about the effects of physical activity and exercise on the neuromuscular diseases related particularly to the aging process.

We are grateful to all the authors for providing valuable contributions on the scientific evidence for this issue, and we also express our deep appreciation to the professional staff of the Topics of Geriatric Rehabilitation.

-Anna Raquel Silveira Gomes, PhD, PT

Silvia Regina Valderramas, PhD, PT

Issue Editors

Coordinator

Federal University of Parana

Curitiba

Parana, Brazil

[email protected]

References