This is an interesting post to publish today, as I’ve been released from physical therapy… again. Suffice it to say that more sitting and less movement during the pandemic led to tendonitis. Combined with all of the work I’ve had done on my right knee and hip, this meant my body wasn’t working together like it should, and I needed to get stronger to make sure it would do so.
I was told my knees were those of a 40-year-old when I was 16. Now that I’m actually in my 40s, I’d hate to hear how old they are now. But given that the best thing we can do to reduce our chances for frailty and injury as we age is to stay active, I’ve pledged to myself to continue to be active and to stay as strong as I can. To see what our experts have to say about it, read on.
Avoiding frailty as we age
with advice from Progressive Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, RISE Physical Therapy and Yonemoto Physical Therapy
Getting older can be challenging – joints may grow stiff and arthritic, vision and hearing can decline, and even your memory and response to questions may not be as quick as they used to be.
As seniors slow down and move less, physical therapists recommend being aware of the “slippery slope of aging” that leads to frailty, and higher risk for injury and illness.
Sheila Yonemoto, a physical therapist and the owner Yonemoto Physical Therapy (a Physiquality member in California), notes that our bodies start to lose strength at the relatively young age of 30. With each decade of life, people will lose roughly 10% of their strength, and even more (15-30% per decade) after the age of 60. Without strength training and exercise to combat such losses, seniors approaching their 70s are at a serious risk for frailty.