How to add impact to physical activity to keep bones strong, according to experts

(Ernie Mondale – HealthDay News) – Exercise a little Pressure on bones during exercise or daily activities It can pay off in a few Bones become stronger as you get older, A suggests investigation Recently. The study focused on A An important part of the anatomy of the hip joint is called the femoral neck.

Finnish researchers discovered this Most of them are sedentary people between 70 and 85 years old Maintain or gain bone strength in the femoral neck after a One year exercise program.

It was the key Severity and “impact” Subordinate Physical activity. For example, People who ran or walked quickly benefited much more than those who walked to A Natural rhythm. YoEven in your 70s and 80s, adding this type of activity to your daily routine is easy, the study's co-author said. Tuli Suominen.

“It is possible to incorporate more high-intensity activity into your daily life in small bouts, such as brisk walking and climbing stairs,” said Suominen, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. “Jump-like effects can also be achieved without actually jumping by first rising on your toes and then descending on your toes. Heels“.

As physical activity tends to decline with age, bone density and integrity also decline. Can this deterioration be stopped or slowed? To find out, the researchers asked 299 largely sedentary men and women, ages 70 and older, to participate in a year-long program focusing on training muscle strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility.

The program started easily and then progressed to more strenuous activities, and the amount and intensity of physical activity was tracked before and after six months of training. The Finnish team also used high-tech X-ray technology to track bone density and structural characteristics of the femoral neck of the hip joint.

“Daily moderate- and high-intensity physical activity was associated with a smaller reduction in bone mineral density” in the femoral neck, the team reported in the January issue of the journal Bone.

“Even short periods of activity can be important for the skeleton, so we also looked at movement in terms of the number and intensity of individual effects,” Tina Savikangas, a co-author of the study, explained in a university press release.

“For example, walking and running cause effects of different intensities,” said Savikanga, who is also a postdoctoral researcher at the university. “We found that effects that were at least similar to brisk walking were associated with better maintenance of bone mineral density.”

more information. Learn more about the links between exercise and bone health at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

Source: University of Jyväskylä, press release, January 15, 2024; Bones January 2024

* Ernie Mondale. HealthDay Reporters © The New York Times 2023