Older adults who are about to undergo elective surgery should do a sustained program of targeted exercise in advance to counteract the effects of bedridden muscle abuse, a new study suggests.
A study published by researchers at Birmingham University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation has shown that short-term ‘rehabilitation’ strength exercises, done before surgery, are not enough to prevent weight loss. muscles.
In the study, the researchers asked a group of older adults to do four sessions of weight-lifting exercise over a week. Participants performed the exercises using only one leg, while the other leg did not perform any exercise.
After completing the rehabilitation, participants were subjected to five days of bed rest – normal hospital rest for an older patient.
Although the researchers expected to find that the leg that went through exercise would experience less muscle loss than the other leg, they actually found that there was muscle loss around the one thing in both legs.
The team’s detailed analysis showed that while short-term exercise rehabilitation improves the body’s muscle-building processes, thigh muscle wear was about 3-4 percent in both legs – roughly equal to than older adults typically lose over 3-5 years of age.
The researchers suggest that one way to protect older muscles from wear and tear through hospitalization is to do long-term exercise rehabilitation beforehand.
“While short-term rehabilitation offers a cost-effective and easy-to-implement strategy, it does not prevent muscle wasting among older adults who are resting in bed,” said Dr. Leigh Breen, co-author of the study.
“This muscle loss can be very difficult to overcome and can lead to long-term health problems and illness,” said Breen.
The team recommends that pre-treatment exercise programs should include aerobic exercise combined with strength training to protect cardiovascular health, and a protein-rich diet to increase muscle mass levels in a way that effectively stop muscle loss that comes during bed rest.
They also recommend that, where appropriate and safe, elderly patients in hospital should focus on getting back on their feet and moving again as soon as possible.
Postoperative exercise and dietary strategies will also be important to ensure their return to full health and reduce the risk of future health problems.
Dr Benoit Smeuninx, now at Monash University in Australia, is the lead author of the paper.
“Our study highlights the need for further research into the benefits of long-term pre-surgery training programs. In the same way that an athlete would train before a race or a competition, exercise training before going into hospital is likely to be very beneficial for older adults undergoing elective surgery, ”he said. .
The work was completed in collaboration with colleagues within the Medical Research Council’s Versus Arthritis Center for Musculoskeletal Aging Research, which is a partnership between the University of Birmingham and the University of Nottingham.
(This story was published from a wire group group without text modification.)
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