Maintaining your Muscle Mass is absolutely imperative to maintaining health as we age. I have been explaining to my patients for many years the importance of maintaining your muscle size as you age. I am constantly seeing patients with poor muscle control and muscle atrophy (a decrease in muscle size). You can measure the size of your muscles using a basic measuring tape. Wrap the tape around the belly of the muscle. Make sure you do both sides to check for imbalances. From a spinal point of view atrophy of the lower back muscles especially multifidus has been linked to lower back pain and poor function. Exercising these muscle has been reported to improve lower back function and reduce pain. There is also the issue of Osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. Once again maintaining muscle mass and control of these areas is a great way of reducing pain and maintaining mobility.
Not only does muscle mass help with pain and function but it is the main energy driver of the body. Improved muscle mass helps us improve our energy by having improved or maintained mitochondrial function. Exercising also helps us reduce stress, improve cardiovascular health and mental function.
I have just read a recent article from www.the-scientist.com explaning the importance and current research regarding Muscle Mass and atrophy as you age. Basically from the age of 30 we start to reduce our muscle mass. Luckily exercise is the key to reducing or holting the degradation. Have a quick read if you want more detailed information regarding the importance of maintaining your muscle size.
For assistance with maintaining muscle mass speak to one of our Exercise Physiologists who can assess and write you a detailed exercise program.
Unfortunately it is an inevitable fact we decrease muscle size as we age but it’s better to get up and get going rather than sit on the couch and let it get the best of us.
Dr Dean Wright
Osteopath
B.App.Sc. (Clin.Sc.,Phys.Ed)
B.Osteo.Sc.