Regular exercise in the elderly is effective to preserve the speed of voluntary stepping under single-task condition but not under dual-task condition. A case-control study.

Background: Stepping response may be considered the most important postural reaction to prevent a fall because it is the inability to respond effectively to a loss of balance that ultimately determines whether a fall occurs. However, very little has been studied on the effect of exercising on step execution behavior in the elderly.

Objectives: To explore whether older persons who exercise regularly have faster voluntary stepping times than sedentary elderly persons.