Muscle power prevents falls later in life: Study

Washington, October 26: All the elderly ladies out there - start exercising! A new study reveals that exercise facilitates elderly women gain muscle strength. However this activity does not give the power they may need to put a stop to falls.

The study which was conducted by Dain LaRoche, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Hampshire noted that the older women were capable of making similar gains in strength as young, however they were incapable of making gains in muscle power.

Two fifth of the people who have attained superannuation are likely to fall. Such falls are one of the top reasons for visits to the emergency. Hip fractures are often linked to falls, and in severe cases may result in loss of mobility.

The researchers averred, "This is especially troubling as muscle power is more closely related to fall risk and the ability to perform activities of daily living."

The study was conducted on 49 inactive women. Two groups were formed for the purpose of the study. The first group had women aged between 18 and 33, while the other group consisted of the elderly women aged between 65 and 84.

The training groups indulged in an eight-week strength-training program consisting of knee-extension exercises. Some of the members of each group did not alter their normal routine. As a part of the program, the women exercised, initially at normal speed and then at a fast speed to increase muscle power.

The younger and older women alike showed a 12 percent gain in muscle strength. However the young women logged a 35 percent increase in muscle power compared to a minuscule 9 percent in their older counterparts.

LaRoche observed that the key to muscle power in the elderly is to maintain it over the lifespan rather than try to develop it later in life.