Furthermore, one could disagree with our inclusion of Lau 2012
and Marigold 2005 in our pooled analysis, as both arms of these
trials received an active exercise component. We believe that our
decision was justified as, firstly, there is a general mixture of types
of control interventions across our studies, and secondly - and
more importantly - we believe that the experimental intervention
in both these studies was focused on significant aspects of
falls prevention. In Lau 2012 the intervention group conducted
whole-body vibration exercises; vibration is thought to improve
muscle weakness, the latter being an important predictor for falls
(Weerdesteyn 2008). Similarly, in Marigold 2005, the aim of the
agility exercises in the experimental group was also clearly more
related to falls prevention than the stretching and slow, low-impact
weight-shifting exercises conducted in the control group