Do the words “weight training” bring to mind sweaty 20-somethings in tank tops pumping iron? It may surprise you to hear that the group that benefits most from weight training is actually senior citizens, especially those who are sedentary or in poor health. As we age, our muscles slowly begin to atrophy, a process called […]
Feeling off-balance can put your world into a tailspin—literally and figuratively. Balance disorders have a long list of causes: inner-ear problems, cognitive or spinal cord injuries, muscle weakness or damage, diabetes, Parkinson disease and even simple aging. Regardless of the cause, balance disorders can put people at high risk for falls and disrupt daily activities […]
Fun and engaging, tennis can be played at any skill level and at any age—well into one’s retirement years. Because it can help those over 50 maintain their physical fitness, tennis may prevent some of the injuries that so often plague seniors and proactively counter natural age-related changes. As a tennis player who has reached […]
Fear of falling increases as we age—and with good reason. About one of every three adults aged 65 and older falls each year. In 2010, more than 2.3 million nonfatal falls were treated in emergency rooms, resulting in more than 662,000 hospitalizations. A staggering 95% of all hip fractures are related to falls. In people […]
If you have been prescribed blood thinners, you may wonder if it is safe to exercise while taking them. The answer is a little tricky, because it depends on what type of exercise you are referring to. Plus, the reasons why you need to use caution may not be what you expect. The first thing […]
As we get older, we may still feel young mentally, but after age 50 or so, we must acknowledge that our bodies need slightly different physical accommodations than we did earlier in our exercising lives. Working out reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, breast and colon cancer, depression and type 2 diabetes, for starters. […]
You lifted a bag of groceries from the floor. Now your physician says your back pain is the result of spinal compression fracture. What is that? Can it be treated? Will the pain go away? Spinal compression fracture occurs when bones of the back cannot support the demand placed on them and collapse. Sometimes multiple […]
Arthritis may be a joint disease, but strengthening the muscles is an important component in its treatment. That is because a leading cause of limited movement in people with arthritis—especially, for instance, knee arthritis—is the weakening of surrounding muscles, rather than pain, dysfunction or abnormalities in the joint itself. This raises an important question: Is […]
Patients often ask whether they can exercise while undergoing dialysis. The answer is yes, with permission of your physician. Staying as fi t as possible reduces the likelihood of hospitalizations and improves quality of life. It is a natural mood elevator and can help relieve the depression that can accompany dialysis dependency. Since patients on dialysis […]
You and a friend both have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but your treatment regimens are very different. You wonder why, for are not all cases of RA basically the same? Broadly speaking, any incidence of RA occurs because the body attacks its tissues as if they were foreign bodies. This is the hallmark of an autoimmune […]