The Worst Advice for Seniors
Hey Team,
Let's face it, there's a lot of bad advice out there, especially when it comes to "seniors"... you know, those people over the age of 65...
The bad advice for seniors is about exercising, specifically when it comes to building strength and improving balance. There's a funny thing about this "bad" advice: I've given the same advice myself to seniors for the majority of my PT career.
Since I can't really explain myself without sharing this bad advice, here it is in a nutshell:
Most seniors are told to focus on gentle, submaximal exercise (like riding a bike at low resistance)
They're rarely advised to do any real strengthening, which is what they need to maintain and improve muscle mass
Balance exercises are the same: they're rarely hard enough to help seniors maintain dynamic balance
In short, we set the bar way too low for seniors... I'm sure it's because we want to "keep them safe" and avoid the risk of injury. But here's the reality: if we don't keep pushing ourselves when it comes to strength and balance as we get older, we're much more likely to experience an injury. What's more, we're definitely going to have to start cutting back on the more rigorous activities we enjoy, simply because we won't be able to do them. And yes, our chances of dying earlier go up when we lose our strength and balance before we should.
As I mentioned above, I've been somewhat unknowingly giving various iterations of this poor advice for years. Like so many people in the medical field, I've been guilty of setting the bar too low for many of our older clients. For example, let's say I'm working with a 74-year-old woman (we'll call her Violet) with right hip and knee pain, which is very common.
She likes to walk in her neighborhood and work in her garden, but now she's having a tough time being on her feet for any length of time, and laying on her right side is also painful.
Here's what I'll usually find:
Violet has pain in the muscles throughout her right buttocks, as well as "bursitis" (pain near that outside hip bone you can touch with your hands)
She also has some pain along the outside of her leg, along her IT band.
The cause of her pain is muscle weakness in her hips, core, and knees, and now her muscles are really sore.
After I figure all this out, I break my treatment plan down into two basic concepts: help get rid of Violet's pain and then strengthen her muscles. And I'll tell you what, I'm about 95% confident that Violet will fully recover, which is great news!
We'll start by doing some gentle stretching and soft tissue massage to her sore muscles, and her pain will start to improve right away. As her pain improves, we'll add that hip/core/knee strengthening I mentioned. As her pain and basic strength improve, we'll add more dynamic strengthening into the mix, including a bit of balance…And before you know it (in about 6 weeks), Violet will be walking in her neighborhood and working in her garden again!
Now, while I love this happy story, and it's a prevalent story, here's the reality: simply returning Violet to her prior level of function isn't the very BEST thing we can do for her.
This is because Violet still needs to improve overall, especially when it comes to more challenging and dynamic tasks, such as getting up from the floor without relying on her arms or the ability to balance on one leg for 20 seconds. Sure, Violet didn't ask me to "buff her up" or anything... she just wanted to be able to walk comfortably and work in her garden.
As I delve deeper into the fascinating field of longevity, I increasingly understand the importance of encouraging individuals to elevate their standards. For someone like Violet, failing to set these expectations higher can significantly increase her chances of experiencing future injuries.
This realization highlights the critical role that more rigorous strength training, along with targeted balance and stability exercises, must play in her overall regimen. By challenging her capabilities, we not only enhance her physical resilience but also empower her to navigate life's demands with greater confidence and security.
If this blog resonates with you or someone you care about, and you're interested in increasing your longevity through improved muscle strength, we invite you to join one of our Balance Workshops. These workshops are a great place to start the process of building strength. They are designed for those who are ready to challenge themselves to get stronger while learning important strategies to enhance their balance. Our experts will provide valuable insights into why some individuals are more prone to falls, along with a comprehensive program to help reduce your risk of falling by building muscle strength.
Feel free to reach out and inquire about our next available workshop. This is a great opportunity to explore safe methods for improving your strength and helping you live your best life.
· The author, Rob Sumner, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Athletic Trainer, owner of Specialized Strength Fitness and Specialized Physical Therapy in Colville. He's happy to answer any questions about this article, wellness, fitness, or your health overall by phone at (509) 684-5621 or by email at Rob@SumnerPT.com
