Impact of Elastic Band Training on Functional Outcomes and Muscle Mass in the Elderly with Sarcopenia: A Meta-Analysis

Although resistance exercise is a well-known and accepted method for treatment of sarcopenia, its effectiveness varies. Through this meta-analysis, we investigated the effectiveness of elastic band resistance exercises in improving the physical performance of individuals with sarcopenia. Well-controlled prospective clinical trials investigating the treatment effect of elastic band training for sarcopenia were found from the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google scholar databases up to July 2021 by using “sarcopenia” and “elastic band” as the search terms. Four studies — three randomized controlled trials and one quasiexperimental study — met our inclusion criteria. A total of 231 older adults with sarcopenia were included. After 12 weeks of training, significant improvements were observed in the timed up and go test result, maximal grip strength, gait speed, and appendicular skeletal muscle index in the elastic band training group compared with the control group (95% CI, –2.93 to –1.41, 1.14 to 5.27, –0.06 to –0.02, and 0.03 to 0.26, respectively). However, no significant differences were observed in performance in the 6-minute-walk test (95% CI, –11.00 to 27.00). Elastic band resistance training may benefit older adults with sarcopenia. Further randomized controlled studies with larger samples and longer follow-up periods are warranted to strengthen the clinical evidence regarding the effectiveness of elastic band training for sarcopenia.