The average life expectancy of people around the world has increased significantly in recent decades, largely due to advances in science and technology, which have provided significant improvements in our lifestyle.
We are living longer, and in general we seek to live healthier, because we know that reach an advanced age in good health It is possible in many cases, as long as we take enough care of ourselves.
And aging is usually associated with a greater likelihood of suffering from degenerative and chronic diseasessuch as arthritis, dementia or cardiovascular complications, among others.
In this sense, medical research specialists dedicate much of their time to studying how to prevent, diagnose and cure all types of ailments that affect us as human beings. From time to time, they make discoveries as surprising as the one we tell you about today in this article: Balancing on one leg is a clear indicator of your state of health.
THE TRIANGLE OF WANING
Within the framework of a study led by the Mayo Clinic and recently published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE have carried out a series of research related to gait, strength and balance, three factors that contribute to the well-being and independence of people of advanced age.
Experts have observed how These three skills, although they can be worked on, tend to decline with ageand have proposed to evaluate the relationship that exists between them and aging. To do this, they have evaluated about 40 healthy people over 50 years of age during a series of tests to observe the state of their balance, their level of muscle strength and whether they can walk at an efficient pace.
The tests consisted of maintaining certain postures for 30 seconds on force measurement platforms, an instrument that measures the pressure that the body exerts on the ground when moving. They also did mobility tests, both sitting and walking, and grip. These are some examples:
- Balance on one leg with eyes open or closed.
- Balance on both legs with your eyes open or closed.
- Maintain balance on the non-dominant leg.
- Extend your knee with as much force as possible.
- Walk on an 8 meter long level walkway.
- Exerting gripping force on a custom-made tool.
To maintain a posture and rhythm we need both strength and good balanceand other factors such as the sense of sight, and the reception and processing of signals from our environment in the brain also intervene in this process. This is important because, as we age, increases the risk of accidental falls and serious injuries resulting from them.
BUT WHAT HAVE THEY FOUND?
The results of the study have shown that unipodal support is the most impaired skill due to the passage of time, that is to say: when we get older it is more difficult for us to balance on one leg. Therefore, the time we can last in this position is a reliable indicator of the state of our neuromuscular agingwhich also does not vary depending on the gender of the person.
These conclusions about balance have been much more revealing than the changes we suffer with age in relation to our strength in the upper and lower extremities, or the way we walk at a normal pace. Even so, grip strength decreases faster than knee strength, and therefore also serves as an indicator of neuromuscular aging.
All this new knowledge can help carry out more efficient diagnoses of health during adulthood and advanced age, in order to take appropriate measures to preserve these capacities.
Experts indicate that coordination, balance and strength are skills that can (and should) be trained throughout our lives. And, above all, if we are not sure about our state of physical and neuromuscular health, see If we stand on one leg for 30 seconds or more is the correct way to know if we are on the right track.
But there are other abilities that we progressively lose with age and that can also be worked on. to reach old age in better health. As we told you in another article National GeographicHarvard University has detected that as we age it is more difficult for us to be happy, and it even offers us 7 habits with which we can solve this problem.