Understanding Aging and Stability
Ozzie Wilkinson rode 80 miles on his 80th birthday on a pedal bike. This raises an important question: how can we ensure that individuals like him are the norm rather than the exception?
It's tempting to attribute diminished physical ability solely to aging—the gradual loss of aerobic capacity and the decline in strength. Many people might dismiss these changes as a natural part of aging. However, other factors play a role, such as excess pain and sleep issues. These factors can leave individuals feeling completely exhausted, making it difficult to maintain an active lifestyle.
The most significant key factor explaining why many people stop moving as they age is injury. When we look at older individuals, we often see that they exercise less or not at all—not because they lack the desire, but because they simply can't; due to a current or past injury. Many individuals may have experienced an injury at some point in their lives and never fully recovered. As a result, they struggle to engage in physical activity, which causes a rapid decline in their overall health.
According to the CDC, over 27% of Americans aged 45 and older report experiencing chronic pain, and about 10-12% indicate that this pain has limited their activities most days or even every day over the past six months. This is a significant number!
Let's consider this: Focusing on stability is essential to minimize injuries and stay active.
To achieve stability, we must change the notion that we need to "crush" every workout at the gym with heavy weights. Without adequate stability, lifting heavy weights poses a risk of injury. This means cultivating safe and ideal movement patterns during our daily lives and workouts that allow our bodies to function as designed. If you struggle to get through your activities, then your body will naturally compensate to function, which can harm your proper movement patterns, increasing your risk of injury. It's more effective to work smarter than to push too hard. Instead, we must change our approach to our workouts by focusing on the correct technique.
Many people think of stability as having strong core muscles, but it's much more. Stability is crucial for any physical activity, especially if you want to maintain higher activity levels over the years and decades. Stability serves as the foundation for the twin pillars of cardiovascular and strength. Without stability, you're setting yourself up for trouble. But It doesn't matter how good your cardiovascular fitness or strength is if you lack stability. While it may not happen immediately, you will likely experience an injury that limits your movement sooner or later. This will disrupt your daily activities, especially as you age, and could even prevent you from continuing the things you love over time.
One important lesson I've learned from stability training is that acute injuries appear to occur suddenly or out of nowhere. You might think, "My back went out just like that," or "It was a freak accident." However, these acute injuries are usually the result of chronic weaknesses, specifically a lack of stability at the joint's foundation. This underlying instability is the real issue—much like an iceberg, where only a small part is visible above the surface.
The goal is to be strong, fluid, and agile as you move through the world—not just one-dimensional. It's not enough to say, "I can lift a lot of weight in the gym," if it leads to constant joint injuries. We want to be functional; we want to go sledding, hike, and be able to climb to the top of the bleachers at our granddaughter's basketball game. Stability is remarkable when we have it! It helps a 75-year-old woman continue playing tennis or pickleball without injury. It keeps an 80-year-old grandmother from falling as she steps off a curb that is slightly higher than expected. It gives a 95-year-old man the confidence to walk his dog in the park. Stability lets us keep doing what we love, and when we lack stability, negative consequences can occur, affecting millions of once-fit individuals.
So, how do we improve our stability?
Breathing is the most fundamental level of stability, as breathing involves much more than just gas exchange or cardiovascular fitness. Breathing is crucial for stability, movement, and even strength. Poor or disoriented breathing can negatively impact motor control, increasing the risk of injuries. We often overlook the connection between back pain and breathing, but there is a vital correlation.
Another structured approach is through dynamic neuromuscular stabilization, often called DNS. While the technique sounds complicated, it is based on our most straightforward and natural movements. DNS connects to how we moved as babies. The sequence of movements that young children go through on their way to learning how to move isn't random or accidental; it's part of their programmed neuromuscular development, which is vital for our ability to move correctly.
As we age, we often become less mobile because we spend more time sitting in chairs, which can cause the ideal movement patterns we learned as infants or toddlers to fade away. We've largely forgotten how to move our bodies correctly. The main point is that most people can maintain their stability as they grow older, but it takes effort to incorporate specific movements into their daily lives.
Today, I hope to have inspired you to consider the vital role of stability in maintaining long-term health and preventing injuries. Stability is a foundational element for our bodies, influencing our longevity and well-being. By recognizing the role of stability, individuals can take proactive steps toward improving their strength and health. Emphasizing this can lead to a more robust, active, and injury-free lifestyle as we age.
· The author, Rob Sumner, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Athletic Trainer, owner of Specialized Strength Fitness and Specialized Physical Therapy in Colville. He's happy to answer any questions about this article, wellness, fitness, or your health overall by phone at (509) 684-5621 or by email at Rob@SumnerPT.com
