Dysmobility syndrome: is exercise a key component in its prevention and treatment?

Aim: Dysmobility syndrome (DS) represents a cluster of six factors (some of them major public health problems) with a shared pathogenesis used to identify older adults at risk of a wide range of adverse health outcomes. This commentary discusses the role of exercise, a type of physical activity, in the prevention and treatment of this condition. Subjects and methods: To accomplish the purpose of this commentary, we contextualize DS providing its definition, risk factors and recommended cutoff points for each factor. We further provide the current prevalence of DS and its impact on the health of older adults. This commentary also provides information on the benefits of exercise on each of the recommended factors in isolation. We end the commentary with a brief research agenda that we believe will help establish exercise as a treatment approach for DS. Results: The prevalence of DS is of great concern, and this condition has been found to be associated with a large array of adverse health outcomes including falls, a major public health problem. Based on the identified factors comprising DS, the current literature provides substantial evidence of the benefits of exercise to prevent this condition. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have been carried out to examine the effects of exercise on DS. Conclusion: While the value of DS over and above other more established measures such as frailty may be questionable, the DS criteria at least provide a great opportunity for early identification of important deficits that can compromise independency and quality of life later in life.