Forum: Strength and balance training important to help build muscle and bone
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The article “ Sumiko at 61: ‘No, your body won’t collapse like a jellyfish.’ How I live with osteoporosis
Another condition that must be highlighted is sarcopenia, the age-associated progressive and generalised loss of muscle mass and loss of strength and physical function.
This can be diagnosed by a simple strength and function test and a scan. Both osteoporosis and sarcopenia commonly occur in older adults, especially women, and predispose them to increased risk of falls and disability.
To combat these two conditions, progressive strength training is the best as it elicits loads of a sufficient magnitude, rate, or distribution to stimulate both bone and muscle cells to lead to an adaptive skeletal growth response and reduce losses.
Regular walking, which is frequently prescribed, has relatively little effect on prevention of muscle and bone loss. The low-impact loading force during walking does not stimulate muscle and bone cells enough to lead to an adaptive skeletal response.
Frequent walking may also expose the previously sedentary or frail older adults to an increased risk of falling, thereby increasing the risk of fracture. Despite the benefits, walking alone is insufficient to optimise musculoskeletal health.
Strength training, including weighted lunges, hip abduction/adduction, knee extension and flexion, pointing the toes downwards and upwards, back extension, and core exercises or compound movements of squats and deadlifts, target the major muscle groups attached to the hip and spine.
The progressive magnitude of mechanical load is important for muscle and bone formation, and strength training elicits a magnitude of strain that exceeds the threshold required for increased muscle and bone modelling.
Strength and balance training has been frequently recommended in clinical guidelines because it has been consistently shown to be safe and effective for improving muscle mass, size, and strength in middle-aged and older adults, including the frail elderly in hospitals or nursing homes, and even those with a history of fracture.
Middle-aged and older women should all undertake strength and balance training towards better function and life quality towards advanced old age.
Wee Shiou Liang (Dr)
