How can the elderly exercise healthier? The key is to do these five things

This is the 5019th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

Real life examples

Lao Wang is a well-known "housebound" old man in the community. As a former soldier, Lao Wang has always been in good health. Although he is over 70 years old, he is still agile and can often run marathons. One afternoon, on his way to buy groceries, he saw a group of young people playing football. Lao Wang couldn't help but recall how he dominated the court when he was young. So Lao Wang, who was eager to join in, had completely forgotten that he was over 70 years old. Lao Wang's physical coordination ability is really good. With rich experience in playing football, he often makes amazing passes and runs on the court for half an hour. However, the next day, Lao Wang felt pain all over his body, especially in his waist, back and calves. He could hardly get up and go out. Seeing this, his son hurriedly took Lao Wang to the orthopedic clinic for treatment. During the consultation, his son kept blaming Lao Wang: "Old people should stay at home and play mahjong and watch TV. If they can't move, they should move to reduce the risk of injury." But Lao Wang thinks that exercise is the foundation of life, and the more he exercises, the more energetic he will be. So, what kind of exercise can the elderly do, or how much exercise is needed to make their bones healthier?

At home, children ask their elders to reduce strenuous exercise for fear of injury; in the hospital, doctors tell the elders to exercise more. So can exercise make the bones of the elderly healthier? In fact, the above two statements, "reduce strenuous exercise" and "increase exercise", are not contradictory. The most important thing is to "moderate". Moderate exercise is indeed beneficial to strong bones.

As the saying goes, "Life lies in exercise", which is also true for the elderly. The human body's bone tissue is a living tissue, and the elderly are prone to lack of exercise due to various reasons such as aging and joint degeneration. Exercise promotes the body's metabolism and constantly stimulates bone tissue, so the bones are not easy to lose calcium. However, since it is difficult to increase the calcium in the bones of the elderly, more calcium is lost every year, and the risk of sports injuries increases. For the elderly, excessive exercise or weight-bearing exercise can easily cause the occurrence or progression of acute and chronic orthopedic diseases, such as fractures after falls or sprains, and aggravated osteoarthritis. Therefore, the child's concerns about strenuous exercise in the case are not unreasonable.

Appropriate exercise includes walking, jogging, skipping rope, Tai Chi, various exercises or some non-intense dances, and swimming if conditions permit. Studies have found that elderly people who regularly participate in exercise have enhanced muscle emergency response and coordination abilities, better balance, and are less likely to fall, which can effectively reduce the incidence of fractures.

Elderly people with normal bone density and strong bodies are also recommended to do appropriate resistance training. Muscle contraction during exercise will directly pull the bone tissue, making the trabecular structure inside the bone tissue more reasonably arranged and increasing bone density, which makes the bones of the elderly healthier. However, you must pay attention to adjusting the intensity of exercise according to your physical condition, which can not only achieve the effect of strengthening your body, but also ensure your own safety.

When exercising, the elderly should follow the principle of "starting with less and then more, starting with the easy and then the difficult". For those who have no exercise habit, it is better to exercise for a shorter period of time, and then gradually extend the exercise time. The elderly in the early stages of exercise should not rush for success, but choose a form of exercise that suits them, and increase the amount of exercise after their health has improved after long-term persistence. Only with long-term persistence can results be achieved.

In addition, for the elderly, doing more appropriate outdoor exercise means the opportunity to receive more sunlight. In addition to strengthening muscles and bones, the elderly can synthesize more vitamin D and absorb calcium better.

Finally, especially for the elderly who already have osteoporosis, they should seek the advice of a doctor before starting a series of exercises. For some elderly people with osteoporosis, their vertebrae are relatively fragile. Even some seemingly minor sprains or mild exercises for a little longer are not safe and can easily cause fractures. In other words, the elderly who already have osteoporosis should insist on appropriate exercise under the guidance of a doctor, which can prevent osteoporosis from further aggravating and prevent the occurrence of fractures caused by osteoporosis complications.

Expert advice:

Moderate aerobic exercise helps maintain bone health in the elderly.

It is recommended that elderly people who exercise long-term and have normal bone density increase resistance training appropriately.

When exercising, the elderly should follow the exercise principle of "starting with less and then more, starting with the easy and then the difficult", and only by persisting for a long time can they see results.

Appropriate outdoor exercise is recommended.

Elderly people with osteoporosis need to do a small amount of exercise under the guidance of a doctor.

Department of Orthopedics, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

Institute of Medical Science Popularization, Fudan University

Author: Wang Ben

Instructor: Dong Jian