Functional task training may improve physical performance in older adults
A review found better balance, mobility and walking endurance, but limited evidence certainty makes the size of benefit uncertain.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Functional task training produced better balance, mobility and walking endurance test results than control interventions in the reviewed trials. These findings concern measured physical performance among older adults. Evidence certainty was limited, and the abstract does not establish whether the test improvements led to greater independence or fewer falls.
Balance and mobility results varied substantially across trials. The abstract omits program lengths and details of control interventions, limiting interpretation of practical relevance.
What researchers found
6-Minute Walk Test
Functional task training versus control interventions; assessment timing not reported in the abstract. The pooled result favored training.
What the tests captured
The review measured balance, mobility and walking endurance as separate outcomes. Results favored functional task training across these measures, but the abstract does not establish how meaningful the reported improvements were in participants' daily lives.
How consistent were the results?
Walking endurance results varied less between trials than balance and mobility results. That greater consistency describes agreement between studies, but it does not establish the size of a meaningful benefit or identify a preferred training program.
The original publication
Effects of functional task training on physical performance in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Nieves-Silva R, Chirosa-Ríos L, Chirosa-Ríos IJ et al.
Eur Geriatr Med · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 40965784
- Record checked
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