Elderly people with less muscle and loose bones need to turn up and down to protect their bones

The survey found that among Taiwan’s elderly people over 65 years old, approximately one in five suffers from sarcopenia. Doctors point out that if men suffer from sarcopenia, the risk of osteoporosis is 3 times higher than the average person, and for women it is 12.9 times higher. If they neglect to exercise actively, it will lead to accelerated bone loss and an increased risk of death from fractures. Therefore, it is recommended to make use of the four bone-protecting methods of "up, down, turn, and move" to stay away from the shadow of sarcopenia and osteoporosis.

70-year-old Grandpa Wu (right) demonstrates upper limb exercises, which have been shown to be helpful for muscle atrophy and osteoporosis. (Photo provided by the Osteoporosis Society of the Republic of China)

Dr. Ting-cheng Chan, director of the Department of Geriatrics at National Taiwan University Hospital, pointed out that "sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and fractures" are the three major hazards that affect the health of the elderly. Among them, sarcopenia is a syndrome defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and a decrease in muscle strength or endurance based on various muscle mass and function measurements. Clinical measurements include hand grip strength of less than 26 kg for men and less than 18 kg for women, and walking speed of less than 0.8 meters per second.

Snail speed, soft shrimp, butter hands

Generally speaking, "snail speed, weak feet, and butter hands" are common clinical phenomena among the elderly, especially the elderly who are "hospitalized, lose weight quickly, and are thin (BMI < 20)". They are at high risk of sarcopenia. Not only will they increase the chances of falling and fractures, and then be bedridden or hospitalized, with limited mobility, they are more likely to increase the rate of muscle loss and increase the risk of death. This should not be underestimated.

In view of Taiwan's aging society, Formosa Plastics Corporation and Wang-Chan-Yang Charitable Trust have collaborated with the Osteoporosis Society of the Republic of China to conduct a research project on osteoporosis prevention and health promotion for high-risk groups. The study found that if high-risk groups for osteoporosis receive counseling and actively participate in nutrition and exercise, they can effectively prevent osteoporosis and fractures.

The research team conducted a series of physical fitness rehabilitation exercises to target the issue of muscle loss and osteoporosis in the elderly. (Photo provided by the Osteoporosis Society of the Republic of China)

Video games are used to attract the elderly to exercise

Yang Rongsen, the project leader and director of the Department of Orthopedics at the National Taiwan University Hospital, said that the project has four sub-projects, one of which is to use video games to attract the elderly to exercise, and to use video games to intervene in the elderly's exercise at the Keelung Community Center. Different from the repetitive and monotonous movements in the past, this set of video games is like a dance machine, lively and interesting, making the elderly happy to continue exercising and making exercise no longer boring.

The study found that through rehabilitation training of muscle strength by playing Xbox 360 for 15 minutes a day, the physical fitness of the elderly increased by an average of 14 points. It not only strengthens the core muscles of the elderly, but also improves muscle strength, trains balance, and prevents falls.

Another sub-project was conducted at the National Taiwan University Hospital. After three months of regular and continuous exercise intervention, the average walking speed of the elderly subjects increased by 8%, the grip strength of the dominant hand increased from 17.3 kg to 18.8 kg, and the dominant knee extensor strength increased by 25%. The sub-project in Kaohsiung also found that physical fitness intervention training significantly improved the muscle strength and sensitivity of the elderly.

《4 Bone-Preserving Moves: Rotate Up and Down》

1. Upper: Lift weights and open and close exercises for the upper limbs. You can use plastic bottles and rice bags available at home to increase weight and train your arm muscles.

2. Lower: Raise the legs, balance the muscles, and train the leg muscles.

3. Turn: Turn left and right to train the arms, shoulders, waist and back muscles.

4. Bending: Bending movements of the spinal joints train the arms, shoulders, side waist and back muscles.

【Doctor's reminder】:

There are nearly 2.7 million people over the age of 65 in Taiwan, of whom 500,000 suffer from sarcopenia. Clinical studies have confirmed that lack of exercise is the key factor affecting muscle degeneration, especially weight-bearing exercise, which can cause muscles to secrete enzymes, thereby promoting the increase of skeletal muscle, reducing muscle and bone loss, and reducing the risk of death from fractures.