This week I am going to discuss the generalized affects of aging on the musculoskeletal system.  As a person ages, a gradual loss of muscle tissue (sarcopenia) occurs, which leads to decreased strength and power and a subsequent loss of functional mobility.  We can all remember a time when a task was easier to perform or something was much easier to lift, than it is now.  Commonly and surprisingly, a person can function with as much as 70% loss of normal muscle strength, however with substantial increased risk for fall and injury.  Even at the age of 30, a person has lost 30% of the muscle strength compared to when they were 20 and that percentage increases 1% each year following.  In the elderly population this percentage increases from 1% to 3%.

Luckily, this article isn't all bad news.  Strengthening exercises can decrease the rate of muscle function loss, and many research articles and studies have shown remarkable recovery of strength across all populations, but especially so in the elderly.  Improvement of functional muscle strength makes it easier to get in and out of a chair, in and out of a car, the bathtub, etc., and improves balance and safety with walking and performance of daily activities.  The physical therapists at Alliance Physical Therapy can help you, irregardless of age, to implement an individualized strengthening program that takes into consideration other health related issues and orthopedic status.  Often times, the program can be done in the home with little to no investment other than time and effort.

Yours in health,

Matt