Most people don’t realize how important muscle health is until they reach their 40’s to 60’s. As we age blood flow to our muscles decreases and that is why cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death. This post, however, is not about heart health. I would like to address the skeletal muscles of the body. Skeletal muscles suffer from poor blood flow as we age and that is why stiffness becomes more of a problem as we get older, particularly after we have been sedentary for some time. Have you ever been stiff in the morning?
Blood flow is important for bringing oxygen to the muscles. Oxygen is required to couple muscle fibers to cause contraction. If this is true you would think decreased blood flow would mean less oxygen which means less ATP and less contraction (stiffness). Well oxygen and ATP are needed even more to uncouple muscle fibers and relax. Let me illustrate it this way…when we die, oxygen no longer reaches the muscles. This leads to decreased ATP in the muscle which causes a release of stored ATP in what is called the sarcoplasm reticulum. This ATP causes coupling of the muscle fibers that are no longer moving. Hence rigor mortis sets in within 3 hours of death and maximizes by 12 hours. So essentially the stiffness that comes with old age is caused by decreased blood flow and inactivity. Rigor mortis actually starts setting in to some degree before we actually die.
How do we prevent rigor mortis from setting in too soon? The formula is simple: improve blood flow to the muscles and keep active. Both of these can be achieved through stretching. Have your ever seen an animal stretch after a period of inactivity? They are increasing blood flow to their muscles just in case they need to sprint, but they are also preventing stiffness. Unfortunately, in our western society we look at retirement as a time to sit back in our recliner and relax. This just speeds up the process of rigor mortis. If you look at eastern societies they spend their retirement in the park doing Tai Chi and keep active.
Not only will stretching prevent stiffness but it can also prevent pain. Myofascial pain and fibromyalgia are becoming more prevalent as well as better understood. Myofascial pain is essentially bands of tightened muscles that are stuck in contraction because of poor blood/oxygen supply. Not only are muscles stiff but they can cause a significant amount of pain. Stretching alone may not be sufficient. Aggressive therapy to break up the bands of muscles may be required to improve the blood flow. This can be achieved through (physical therapy, rolfing, deep tissue massage, trigger point injections, acupuncture). I often recommend that patients get a tennis ball that they get wet and freeze. Then use this ball to work into the tissue. This may be painful at first but will do the job. I also recommend all my fibromyalgia patients and chronic low back pain patients to look into yoga which has been shown in multiple studies to decrease pain.
When I mention Yoga. Many people think of the above picture. I have to explain to them that there are several forms of Yoga. The idea is to improve muscle health through stretching and relaxation both of which can be accomplished by Yoga. This has to become a habit in order to be effective. Rigor mortis does not take a day off, nor should you.
Good article. I didn't know you had that picture of me doing yoga - you sneaky guy! Actually, I have been good about doing Yoga for 2 months now. I can see improvement in flexibility.
ReplyDeleteI've done a bit of yoga, but have recently decided to do it more regularly. 4 days of running, mixed with 2-3 days of yoga seems like a good balance. Any recs for a good yoga DVD? mom?
ReplyDeleteI still haven't found just the right one for me. You kinda need a beginner one at first, just to become acquainted with the poses and breathing. Then you need a good one for a routine. We can talk.
ReplyDelete