This is the first in a short series about body systems, changes to those systems because of aging, and the importance of Physical Movement to maintain the full use of these systems. I’ll start this week with the Musculo-skeletal System and later in the series, I’ll cover the Cardiovascular System, the Respiratory System, and possibly the nervous system.
The intent of this series is to keep it very simple, and stay away from technical or medical details.
Your Muscles
Muscles Atrophy (lose size and strength) as you get older. You begin to have difficulty lifting, carrying and moving things. In sedentary people, this muscle loss can begin as early as your twenties. Active adults can maintain muscle size until around age 60, depending on the level of activity. Participants in Masters Level Sports and those who actively exercise against some resistance, can keep muscle size and strength much longer.
Your Bones
Bones become brittle and easy to break. Bone mass declines with age. Falls are a high risk event as we get older. Most Emergency Room admissions for Seniors are a result of Falls, not heart attacks or stroke.
The reasons for bone mass decline are inactivity, changes in hormone levels, and improper eating habits resulting in nutritional deficiencies. Osteoporosis is a chronic disease which results in weak, low density bone structures. Very severe osteoporosis, particularly among the very old, can result in the weight of a person’s own body, actually crushing a bone if put under stress, something borne out by many Emergency Room Doctors.
I have a series of floor movements that I do daily to protect my aging hips. I call them “hip-savers” Maybe I’ll put them online one day. They seem to work. I had a bad fall on the ice this Winter and landed right on my hip. I had a huge bruise but no break.
Your Joints
Joints, too are affected by aging. As you get older, your joint structures can weaken and can get small tears and also calcify. This can result in a shortened range of motion of the joints as well as pain. A weakening of the cartilage around the joints can also occur as a result of aging. All this results in a lack of stability in the joints. Unstable and weakened knee, hip and shoulder joints are common as we get older. Knee and hip replacement surgery seems to be rampant.
The Remedy
Physical Activity is the key to maintaining a healthy Musculo-skeletal system. The more one moves, particularly against resistance, the easier it is to hold on to muscle and bone strength and body flexibility.
There has been a lot of research on the effects of weight bearing exercise on bone density over the past decade, as well as the confirmation of age related muscle mass maintenance and gain through resistance exercises. Research has demonstrated that even older adults with a sedentary past can build muscle strength and bone density through physical activity.
Osteoarthritis is often a component of hip and knee joint problems and can often be treated by water exercise, using the low impact resistance of the water to build strength and mobility.
I have tried to keep technical and medical aspects out of the above, while still making the basics understandable. I hope it’s not too simplistic.
Next week you’ll get an overview of the Cardiovascular system and the benefits of physical activity on your heart and blood vessels.
Thank you for reading.