THE HUMAN BODY WAS MEANT TO MOVE

The Huntress, Pen & Ink, and Colored Pencil                                  © by Ruth Zachary

Our Ancestors from all parts of the world were active people. Active as hunters and gatherers, and active also when they became agricultural. Migratory people followed animals and crops in various seasons in order to eat well year round.

It is not natural or healthy for people to become sedentary in their elder years. I believe it is movement which keeps people well and able to continue their living routines into the later decades of life, and to also permit them to continue a better quality of life.

Injury is one danger for elderly people, because when a bone breaks or a sprain occurs, or when arthritis, whether osteo or rheumatoid, an older person may have great difficulty regaining their flexibility, weight bearing strength, and function, unlike in earlier decades.

Too many doctors have willingly adopted an attitude of acceptance, when an elderly person complains of stiffness, swelling and joint pain. As a result less encouragement and effort is given to regaining strength and fitness. Actually, for most people, continuing to regain movement and flexibility is the best solution for geriatric degeneration.

Prevention of injury is also critical. Safety precautions while working or exercising can help prevent injury. Rollators and canes help some people walk when they wouldn’t, without these appliances. An injury to one part of the body can end up restricting movement for other parts of the body, and that too can cause degeneration. Catering to asymmetrical movement can cause one muscle group to continue working while other muscle groups do not function fully.

Symmetrical functioning is important. In some of my internet research notes, on Rolfing, (not sourced- I apologize) it is claimed that for movement, “skeletal muscles often work in opposing pairs called the “agonist” and the antagonist” the one contracting while the other relaxes. Rolf theorized that “bound up “ (connective tissues) often restrict opposing muscles from functioning in concert.” Exercises which challenge opposing muscle groups are important. Stretching, especially for Fibromyalgia patients helps to keep muscles and joints flexible.

Personally, I experienced a similar kind of limitation after a severe sprained ankle about 20 years ago. I could no longer run, and climbing steps for a long period required ascending with the leading step up on the right foot only. Other habitual movements, such as getting into a car on only one side (if you are the driver) can cause a twist to the left knee. Knees, especially, suffer from more exercise on the outside muscle groups and neglecting movement to the interior muscle groups along the knees.

If you can afford physical therapy with your medical insurance plan, the process can usually rebuild muscle groups quite satisfactorily, so that a person with dedication can sometimes achieve full mobility. A physical therapist told me that muscles not worked for one month take seven months to get back to full function again.

I RECOMMEND: Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis, a book on Arthritis, by Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D,  with Kristin R. Baker, Ph.D., and Ronenn Roubenoff, M.D., M.H.S., With Lawrence Nindner, M.A. A New York Times Bestseller. Published by Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University.

Next time: INFLAMMATION AND ITS IMPACT ON MOVEMENT.