Have you heard of Sarcopenia?

Have you found it harder to do things you used to do?
Finding it harder to get out of a chair, or the car, or open jars?

This could be related to sarcopenia.

Have you heard of sarcopenia?
Sarcopenia is age related muscle loss, which can begin after the age of 30. At around this age we lose between 3 and 8% per decade of our total muscle mass. This loss increases as we get into our 60’s (9-10%) and 70’s (11-12%) and can reduce our muscle mass to about half of what we had in our 20’s.
It is not only age that can affect our muscle mass, but inactivity can also. So, even if you’re in your 30’s or 40’s inactivity due to illness or hospitalisation can also lead to sarcopenia.

What does this mean?
The reduction in muscle mass and strength can have a negative impact on being able to stop yourself from falling if you lose your balance. It will also impact your ability to maintain mobility, have negative effects on your quality of life, and if you fall can lead to hospitalisation and extended rehabilitation.

What can you do about it?
The good news is the effects of sarcopenia are reversible!
With regular exercise and a healthy diet the effects can be reversed, but not just any exercise will do. While walking is great for physical and emotional health is not enough to reverse sarcopenia. The exercise must be resistance based and involves a gradual, repeated, and targeted increase in weight or resistance over time.”

Who can help
At Activate Health we have Exercise Physiologists and Physiotherapists who can help with your journey into exercise and reversing or avoiding the effects of sarcopenia. We can do this through targeted individualised exercises programs and manual therapy to improve your mobility and help you stay fit and healthy.
Remember if you don’t use it you lose it!!

Written by Chris (lead physiotherapist)