Effects of aerobic and resistance exercise program on physical adaptation in the elderly men patients with heart failure

Introduction: Diminished physiological tolerance induced heart failure among the elderly patients limit doing their daily activities. Exercising as a non-medical intervention is not usually mentioned for daily activities promotion. The current study was conducted aiming to explore the effects of aerobic and resistance exercise program on physical adaptation in the elderly men patients with heart failure. Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial design. The study population was all the male elderlies suffering from heart failure type 2 and 3. All the 60 elderlies were randomly assigned using block-randomized allocation into the intervention and the control groups. The study field was Echocardiography ward at Imam Sajjad Hospital in Ramsar. The exercise program was performed for three months in the intervention group. The physical adaptation was assessed in four different time intervals (before 1, 2, and 3 months and also after intervention) and the results were compared between the groups. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Adaptation scores were calculated using the indices, including descriptive statistics and then the following tests were performed: independent and paired t-test, repeated ANOVA, and Bonferoni tests. Results: The results showed a significant statistical difference between the mean scores of distances walked in 6 minutes in four points between the two groups (P≤0.001). The aerobic and resistance exercise programs had promoted the physical adaptation among the elderlies with heart failure as our results approved (P<0.05). Conclusion: Aerobic and resistance exercises can help in promoting the physical adaptation in doing the daily activities in the elderly with heart failure.