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Resistance training entails pushing or pulling against an external force. While research on resistance training has traditionally centered on muscle and bone adaptations, little is known about how it affects nerve adaptability. New research reveals that it helps minimize age-related nerve decline, which could help reduce the risk of falls and injuries in older adults.
As people age, their muscles tend to shrink and weaken. Severe muscle loss can lead to frailty, falls, and fractures. While muscle decline is a natural part of aging, resistance training can slow this process and, in some instances, even reverse it.
Researchers aimed to investigate how resistance training impacts nerve conduction velocity and whether these effects vary by age. They measured nerve conduction velocity in the forearm and maximum strength before and after a four-week handgrip training program in both arms of 48 participants, aged 18 to 84 years. They then stimulated the forearm muscle nerves, measuring the speed of muscle activation.
Nerves comprise both fast and slow motor neurons, with the fast ones breaking down first, losing synapse with muscles and becoming inactive with age. All seniors who engaged in the training exhibited improved nerve conduction, indicating that the faster neurons were reactivated, resulting in enhanced strength.
Muscle deterioration is particularly severe in older adults that lead a sedentary lifestyle. Regular exercise that includes resistance training can combat this decline, helping seniors maintain greater independence and enhance their quality of life.
The research team plans to pursue additional studies to explore how exercise interventions can reduce age-related nerve decline and whether the reactivation of fast neurons extends to other areas of the body.
To view the original scientific study click below:
An Exercise Intervention May Counteract the Degradation of Nerve Conduction from Age-Related Disuse
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