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Older Athlete? Get Moving!
“You take it easy, I have a hockey game,” said the 65 year old to her doctor. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) are reporting new findings that highlight the importance of higher impact athletics for older individuals. The study, which involved 560 athletes who took part in the 2005 National Senior Games (the Senior Olympics), is published in the November/December issue of Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach.
“Our study represents the largest sample of bone mineral density (BMD) data in mature athletes to date. My colleagues and I were surprised to see that active adult participation in the high-impact sports had such a positive influence on bone health, even in the most oldest athletes,” said Vonda Wright, M.D., Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, in the news release.
Participants in the games, which included basketball, road race running, track and field, triathlon and volleyball, were on average 65.9 years old; there were 298 women and 289 men. Each athlete completed a Senior Athlete Health Registry Questionnaire with registration materials which requested general medical information. All respondents were then invited to participate in BMD testing via a calcaneal quantitative ultrasound of the heel of their dominant foot. After age, sex, obesity and use of osteoporosis medication were controlled, participation in high-impact sports was found to be a significant predictor of improved BMD compared to those individuals who participated in lower impact sports.
Dr. Wright told OTW,
We set out to ask, ‘In the best of the best examples of active aging, would high impact exercise indeed be better for BMD than low impact…and low impact better than nothing.’ Our hypothesis was confirmed. High impact exercise was as important as the other top 5 predictors in maintaining bone density. Our conclusion for patients was that if they are going to do something for 30 minutes, make sure it is high impact.”
“It is clear that not every mature adult can participate in high-impact sports, especially those with hip or knee osteoarthritis. However, this study suggests that high-impact sports can play a significant part in healthy bone aging. With a multi-part approach and the appropriate use of high-impact exercises individuals may be able to make greater strides against bone loss than the current treatment strategies imply,” added Wright in the news release.
As for what orthopedists should tell their patients about this study, Dr. Wright commented to OTW,
Most orthopedists have focused on the young athlete while overlooking the largest growing group of active people in the country, the aging athlete. Instead of finding ways to keep mature athletes on the road, they are passed off with the advice to essentially, ‘slow down and act your age.’ One school of thought is that older athletes are wearing out the warranties on their bodies so they should stop using them at a high pace. I strongly disagree—telling people to slow down or stop is encouraging a sedentary lifestyle which we know is so dangerous to health. Instead, we should help them modify their programs to maximize performance while minimizing injury. I just completed a study on muscle mass in older athletes which involves a group of high level runners. Because they only run, they have numerous musculoskeletal injuries from overuse. They need to expand beyond their sport of interest.
Specifying what can help older athletes, Dr. Wright stated to OTW,
Four things make the difference: flexibility(stretch the muscles and tendons daily); aerobic(intensity is more important than repetition); carrying a load (resistance training); equilibrium exercises (stand on one foot, do Pilates or Tai Chi).
Fundamentally, said Dr. Wright to OTW,
I am trying to answer the question, ‘What are we capable of as we age?’ To put things in perspective, in the 2005 Senior Olympic Games, the 50 year old male winner of the mile race won in 4 minutes 34 second, while the 18 year old winner of the Pennsylvania state track and field mile won in around 4:11. That is a 30 year age span with not a lot of difference between their times.