Sarcopenia. Strange word. Common condition.
Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass and strength that
occurs with aging. (1) So all of us
Burlington and Hamilton folks will contend with sarcopenia at some point and to some
extent. Loss of skeletal muscle is one of the more remarkable changes related
to aging. Spinal Care Clinic is sensitive
to this condition. Many of our older
Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic patients experience sarcopenia to some extent.
Muscles are important to spine health. So here, Spinal Care Clinic presents this
discussion about sarcopenia along with some treatment recommendations.
First know that from the time you are born to around the
time you turn 30, your muscles grow larger and stronger. But at some point in
your 30s, you begin to lose muscle mass and function, a condition known as
age-related sarcopenia or sarcopenia with aging. People who are physically
inactive can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass per decade after age
30. Even if you are active, you will still experience some muscle loss.
Although there is no universally recognized test or specific
level of muscle mass for sarcopenia diagnosis, any loss of muscle mass is of
consequence because loss of muscle means loss of strength and mobility.
Sarcopenia typically accelerates around age 75 - although it may happen in
people age 65 or 80 - and is a factor in the occurrence of frailty and the
likelihood of falls and fractures in older adults like those due to
osteoporosis. (2) Spinal Care Clinic finds, refers and/or cares for many
Burlington and Hamilton patients with spinal fractures.
So
what can be done to prevent and/or treat sarcopenia? The
primary treatment for sarcopenia is
exercise. Specifically, resistance training
or strength training -
exercise that increases muscle strength and endurance
with weights or resistance bands - has been shown to be useful for both the
prevention and treatment of sarcopenia.
(3) Other approaches like antioxidant
supplementation
(4) and increased dietary protein intake have been explored.
One study showed that intake of a protein-calorie supplement by very old men
and women was associated with greater strength and muscle mass gains compared
to a placebo.
(5) Spinal Care Clinic always proposes the simplest exercises so
that our Burlington and Hamilton patients will do them and keep doing them.(photo: ©
iStockphoto.com/AlexRaths)
Sarcopenia results from decreased physical activity with
aging, a key factor in its development. Unfortunately progressive muscle
wasting occurs with aging with a range of significance from 8.8% in young old
women to 17.5% in old old men. (1) So Spinal Care Clinic encourages exercise not
just for back pain and neck pain control and healing, but also for overall
health and well-being as our Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic patients age.
So contact Spinal Care Clinic for a Burlington and Hamilton
chiropractic consultation as you age. As a part of your healthcare team,
Spinal Care Clinic will help keep you from the effects of the strangely-named
condition of sarcopenia.