5 Ways Physical Therapy Can Promote Health Aging
Healthy aging is the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age. Functional ability means that older adults have the capability to maintain physical independence and mobility to perform and meet daily needs and activities with sufficient strength, balance, and coordination.
As we age, we naturally experience decreases in muscle mass and bone mineral density, loss of elasticity in connective tissue, and a decline in balance and coordination skills, which can negatively impact older adults’ independence and function.
Regular exercise can minimize these declines and improve muscle strength, bone density, and overall fitness and balance. Research has shown that regular physical activity is the number one contributor to longevity, adding extra years to a person’s life even if they only began exercising in their older years.
Regular exercise is an essential component of healthy aging, helping seniors maintain independence and improve their physical and mental health. A physical therapist can design a comprehensive exercise program, including aerobic exercise, resistance training, balance and gait training, and flexibility exercises.
Here are our ways physical therapy can promote healthy aging:
Aerobic conditioning: requires the use of large muscle groups, which increases blood flow and places a demand on the heart and lungs. It helps build aerobic capacity and endurance and improve circulation. Aerobic conditioning can include walking on a treadmill or exercising on a stationary bike.
Flexibility training: involves lower body stretches, specifically of the low back, hamstrings, and hip flexors to promote good mobility and joint alignment and prevent tight muscles and stiff joints.
Resistance Training: builds muscle through repetitive movements that isolate the muscle groups to strengthen them, using weights, resistance bands, or body weight. The therapist usually targets large muscle groups in the arms, back, and legs (gluteal and quadricep muscles) as well as the core muscles.
Balance & Gait Training: Balance exercises help older adults maintain stability when standing, walking, or changing direction, which can include walking on flat and uneven surfaces, navigating obstacles such as walking over small hurdles, or balancing on a balance board. Balance training is often combined with gait training exercises, which can include marching over small hurdles or backward walking.
Aquatic therapy decreases the amount of stress on joints, so individuals can work on balance, muscle strength, and mobility more easily.
