Keep Moving As You Age So That You Can Grow Older Gracefully!
“Life is about movement - everything that is alive moves.” (1)
What a great thing to realize! No matter your age, you really must move. As you age, you have to move more (than you may want)! Life equals motion. Motion equals life. Researchers are really putting out some amazing information on this topic that will motivate us all (and our loved ones!) to keep active so that we can all age gracefully. Dr. Butwell and our Georgetown chiropractic patients will all grow old better working together, exercising, moving, and meeting at the office for gentle Cox® treatment!
BED REST AND MOBILITY
Bed rest isn’t always best! It may be less scary than moving and be even a bit comforting. Dr. Butwell will give you that! When hospitalized, there is lots of bed rest, maybe even a bit too much for a patient’s liking! A study of patients in an acute care hospital ward uncovered information that inpatient mobility was low despite their individual capacities to move and desires to get up and move around. (1) It’s so important to keep acute patients - and those with new bouts of back pain and/or neck pain, too - moving to get them better! Beneficially, acutely hospitalized older patients enhanced their muscle strength and power while hospitalized using an individualized multicomponent exercise program that integrated power training in as little as 3 days! (2) In a review of the benefits of exercise for frail older adults, researchers emphasized the value of preserving functional abilities for those who want to grow old gracefully. They further emphasized that exercise and physical activity are valuable to prevent of falls, hospital stays, improved cognition, etc. Exercises from power training (yes – power training for older folks!) to resistance training, balance exercises, aerobic training, walking, etc. (3) Mobility is part of keeping frailty at bay, and Dr. Butwell encourages that!
FRAILTY AND MOBILITY
Those of us over 65 years old are said to be more prone to frailty, increasing our risk of several adverse health issues, both cognitive and physical. The hope we all have is that frailty is reversible. Researchers have analyzed this issue by appraising published studies on this topic of frailty reversal. Luckily, 56.7% of the papers proposed that it is reversible (returning a person who is frail/severely frail to a state of being just pre-frail or just mildly frail). (4) Those are promising outcomes! One study shared that frail and even “pre” frail older patients showed better physical performance and function following a short (6 week) facility-based exercise routine that involved a walking-based high intensity interval training. 64% bettered their frailty rating. Specifically, muscle power went up by 47%, muscle strength by 34%, and aerobic capacity rose 19%. (5) And other additional benefits with physical activity in general: energy and a better emotional state! Frailty and aging are more apt to lower energy levels and raise fatigue and emotional distress. Moving and physical activity has been reported to fight those feelings in older women as well as extend life expectancy and cut back on some negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. (6) Dr. Butwell thinks you’ll concur that these are beneficial!
CONTACT Dr. Butwell
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Tom Menendez on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the effective gentle protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management in treating the elderly.
Schedule your Georgetown chiropractic appointment today. You’re alive. What a wonderful thing, one to be thankful for by moving!
