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Importance of stretching for adults over 60

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Dnyaneshwar Chaudhari
Importance of stretching for adults over 60

Flexibility decreases with age up to 50 percent in some of the muscles and joints. Though the process of decrease in flexibility takes place throughout the life, its effects become evident in later stages of life. Senior citizens turn to prescriptions and medical equipment to cope up with reduced mobility and flexibility. Though these options are available, there is a better option that would be effective to gain & maintain strength, improve mobility & flexibility, and regulate blood circulation. That option is stretching. Research studies have proved that stretching and a few motion exercises will reduce the loss of mobility and flexibility. Following are some of the benefits offered by stretching that lead to better quality of life:

Reduces the risk of falling:

Falling is one of the major concerns in adults over 60. According to the study, one out of three adults fall every year and nearly 2.5 million individuals need treatment for falling annually. Regular stretching exercises will help in maintaining balance and reduce the risk of falling. Improvement of flexibility in lower back, hamstrings, and quadriceps will help in countering the risk of falling. Moreover, mobility in hip joints is essential to prevent falling. Stretching will bring more mobility in hip joints.

Improve the posture:

With age, the water content in connective tissues including tendons and ligaments reduces. This results in loss of flexibility. The reduced flexibility in tendons and ligaments coupled with sedentary lifestyle opted throughout the lifetime results in poor posture. The poor posture causes pain in lower back, joints, and shoulders. A consistent stretching exercise helps in the improvement of flexibility. The tight tendons, ligaments, and muscles will loosen, giving you a better flexibility and wide range of motions. Moreover, stretching supplemented with strength training will help in improving the posture.

Reduced lower back pain:

Spinal stenosis and osteoarthritis cause lower back pain in adults over 60. In spinal stenosis, spinal nerves are compressed and create pain in lower back. Osteoarthritis, a common form of arthritis, causes pain in the lower back due to degeneration of cartilage between the facet joints. With aging, these conditions cannot be avoided, but the pain caused can be managed. The solution is regular stretching exercises. These exercises reduce the stiffness of muscles, resulting in a better flexibility. It is painful to stretch these muscles, so it is necessary to warm these muscles and then stretch. Stretching equipment can also be used with the help of another individual.

Improve blood flow and energy levels:

In addition to stretching muscles, dynamic stretching improves blood circulation and flow throughout the body. This increases the energy levels as well. The rise in energy levels is important to maintain health, balance, and good posture. The improved circulation and flow of blood also keep adults away from other health conditions. At Nexus, our experienced and enthusiastic physiotherapists will help you in determining the correct stretching exercises by a thorough evaluation of your body. End your search for the best physiotherapist near me and contact us soon

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Dnyaneshwar Chaudhari
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