EFEITOS DO ALONGAMENTO SOBRE A CIFOSE TORÁCICA EM IDOSOS: UMA REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA.

Context: Thoracic hyperkyphosis is a problem due to the advancement of age. Stretching is one of the corporal practices that treats this alteration, providing an improvement in the quality of life in the elderly. However, the effect of using stretching exercises for the treatment of hyperkyphosis in the elderly is not yet known. Objective: to analyze the effects of stretching or flexibility interventions for the treatment of thoracic kyphosis in the elderly, based on a systematic review. Methods: A systematic search was performed in the databases BIREME, PubMed, Scielo, Science Direct, SCOPUS and Google Scholar, with the keywords: "Kyphosis" AND "Aged OR Elderly" AND "Muscle Stretching Exercises". Inclusion criteria were: the elderly population; intervention that includes stretching exercises and/or flexibility training, regardless of the therapy used; clinical trials; thoracic kyphosis as outcome variable. The studies of this review were included and evaluated for methodological quality with the Downs & Black scale by two independent reviewers. Results: The results of the studies included in the systematic review show that there was a small reduction in thoracic kyphosis in five studies. In addition, other postural changes are involved in the treatment of thoracic hyperkyphosis, such as shoulder and head posture, so postural corrections in these segments may also be indicative of positive treatment outcomes. Conclusion: Interventions with stretching or flexibility reduce thoracic hyperkyphosis in the elderly population. The first effect of these interventions seems to be associated with a reduction of head anteriority and not of thoracic kyphosis. It is believed that continuity of treatment with stretching or flexibility will result in a significant reduction of the magnitude of the curvature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]