Many people believe that losing muscle strength is just a natural part of getting older.
But new research from Ohio University suggests that the real reason may be how the brain and nerves work—not just aging muscles.
A team of researchers led by Brian Clark studied 66 older adults in their 70s. They tested how strong each person’s leg muscles were by asking them to push against resistance as hard as they could. Then, the researchers used electrical stimulation on the muscles to see if they could push harder with extra help.
If the muscles became stronger after the stimulation, it meant the problem wasn’t with the muscle itself. Instead, it was likely that the brain and nerves weren’t sending strong enough signals to the muscle.
The results were surprising. People who were weaker at the start showed a big improvement in strength after the stimulation. The weakest participants got 14.2% stronger—twice as much improvement as the stronger group. This shows that the nervous system may be a bigger factor in muscle weakness than we thought.
This new understanding could change how we treat muscle weakness in older adults. While exercise is still very important, this study shows we also need to focus on keeping the brain and nerves healthy. Exercises that improve balance may help because they require good communication between the brain, nerves, and muscles.
In the future, doctors may be able to use nerve stimulation to help older people stay stronger and more independent. New kinds of exercises and treatments could focus not just on building muscle, but also on improving how nerves send signals to those muscles.
For now, staying active is still the best way to protect muscle strength. But with more research like this, we may soon have new ways to help older adults stay strong by focusing on the nervous system too.
This research, published in JAMA Network Open, offers a fresh look at aging and opens the door to better care and quality of life for older people.
If you care about muscle, please read studies about factors that can cause muscle weakness in older people, and scientists find a way to reverse high blood sugar and muscle loss.
For more health information, please see recent studies about an easy, cheap way to maintain muscles, and results showing these vegetables essential for your muscle strength.
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