Body Physiology Of Sarcopenia Case Study

Changes due to the aging process also need to be addressed. Calcium reabsorption increases especially in women after the menopause, this decreases bone density. Lean tissue decreases as fat increases with age; there is also a decline in the percentage of body water meaning that body temperature is more difficult to control. Thirst decline and decreased renal function means that older people can become dehydrated (Copeman 1999). The function of the bowel reduces, meaning that the elderly are more susceptible to indigestion and constipation. The risk of constipation is also increased with Parkinson’s disease (Parkinson’s UK 2011). The final consideration is the deterioration of the sensory system. Taste, smell, vison, pain and touch all decline meaning that food may not be as appealing (Copeman 1999).

Muscle atrophy is the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function that occurs when there is a long period of inactivity of the muscles or defects in motor neuron's (Reilly, Beau 2015). Defects in the motor neurons that stimulate the muscle cause the muscle mass to decrease as proteins that initiate contractions of muscle dissipate. Stimulus is not transferred to the weakened muscle fibers effectively, reducing the contractile force possible for generation from the stimulus. Muscle mass increases upon recovery, as restimulation of the muscle enlarges fiber size, thus a greater contractile force can be generated from the stimulus.

This component can also be linked in with the third component of muscular endurance, with age this factor is often limited by lack of muscular strength due to shorter bouts of exercise being performed.

As the body slows down, the “body weight increased and health ratings declined gradually” (A. Zajacova and S. Burgard). As the body increases in age, typically exercise and the impulse to eat right decreases. Zajacova and Burard found that during middle adulthood, adults “[start] heavier and gaining more weight were both associated with a faster health decline” (A. Zajacova and S. Burgard). The metabolism of the body slows down which makes maintaining the body weight harder. Muscles mass deteriorates into fat making being active harder. The body does not burn fat as fast as before because muscles are not burning fat as much as they did during early adulthood. The immune system weakens in the body of a middle adult. Stress increases during middle adulthood due to stress from family, work, and/or finances. When stress is introduced to the body, the immune system weakens. Stress also causes artery blockage. When the immune system is weak, the body is more vulnerable to illness. Health slowly declines and the bones begin to weaken in middle

Each type of muscle fiber has a different power output. These fibers are fast-twitch, and slow-twitch muscle fibers. Fast-twitch fibers are used for explosive movements that are sustained for a short amount of time. While slow-twitch fibers are used for periods of time when movement is sustained for a long period. Slow-twitch fibers utilize aerobic beta-oxidation for energy. This means this type of muscle fiber uses fatty acids for energy and requires oxygen to break them down. This breakdown takes place within the mitochondria. Fast-twitch fibers get energy from anaerobic glycolysis. Meaning this fiber utilizes the breakdown of glucose without oxygen. Humans are born with these fibers in different proportions than others. Genetics determines the amount of each fiber a person will have, and these pre-genetically determined number of fibers will remain constant throughout a person’s life. Due to the different capabilities of each fiber, the amount of slow and fast-twitch fibers can determine the person’s capability. Therefore, those who have more fast-twitch fibers will jump higher than those with more slow-twitch fibers of the same stature. (BSC 228,

The body has many amazing systems within it. The muscular system is on of the systems that is the most intriguing. Type I, Type IIa, and Type IIb comprise the muscular fiber types within the human body. Type I or Slow-twitch fibers contain mitochondria. These mitochondria use the oxygen that is taken in to create adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP fuels muscle contraction. Type I fiber is considered to be aerobic due to the use of oxygen. The slow-twitch muscle fibers are also known as red fibers. This alias is due to the dark red appearance cause by the amount of myoglobin within the fiber. Slow-twitch fibers are the first within the body to be activated due to having a lower activation threshold. They create their own energy source which allows these fibers to sustain force for a longer period of time. The negative aspect is they are unable to create a large amount of force. If the fibers are unable to generate the amount of force that is needed then the fast-twitch fibers will be activated.

By thirteen years of age the proximal muscle weakness is so advanced that the affected will be wheelchair dependent, and as involuntary muscles (cardiac and respiratory) grow more affected towards the age of eighteen, cardiomyopathy and respiratory diseases are common and often cause death, with very few survivors past the age of thirty and the average lifespan at twenty-five.

As humans grow older, both muscle mass and bone density decrease. This deterioration of muscle mass, also known as sarcopenia, is often accompanied by a loss of function and strength. This significant loss of muscle that occurs with aging can impair functional ability for the elder population, which can include everyday tasks such as opening a jar, walking down stairs, or bending down to pick an item up. The most practical approach to combat deteriorated muscles is to incorporate some type of strength or resistance training into the daily schedule. One of the strength methods tested was explosive-type heavy resistance training, which may alter kinetics and neuromuscular activity during stair ascent in elderly women (Holsgaard-Larsen, Caserotti,

Decreased muscle mass slows down metabolism because the body uses more energy to maintain muscle tissue than fat. (Kravitz, L.. N.p.. Web. 13 Mar 2014. http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article folder/age.html)

As we learned, inside our muscles we have both thin and thick filaments, in which the thick are made of myosin, and the thin are composed of actin. When these proteins pull together, they cause muscle contraction. They remain this way, until ATP attaches to the myosin and forces it to let go of the actin (howstuffworks.com). Basically, muscles need ATP in order to release from a contracted state, because it is used to pump the calcium out of the cells, allowing the fibers to unattached. When a person is alive, their muscle cells utilize energy to transport calcium ions to the outside of the cells, which is when the muscles are released from the contracted state. When a person dies, the membranes of the muscle cells become more absorbent to calcium ions, therefore they are unable to contract and the actin and myosin will remain latched until decomposition begins taking place

For the past seven years I have seen my great-grandmother struggle with mobility. She has a weak heart with two valves that are very weak. This cause for her to have poor blood flow to her legs. She has developed sores that cause throbbing pain with bloody discharge. She struggles to walk and care for herself every day. Yet she does not give up and refuses to use assisted living.

Sarcopenia (low muscle mass and/or strength) and falls risk are not commonly examined by clinicians and health care providers to improve the prognosis of fracture at any site. It has been reported that sarcopenia is associated with the incidence of having falls therefore addition of these parameters in FRAX tool will aid the diagnosis of people at high risk of fracture.

twitch muscles. Fast twitch muscles have a fast form of myosin ATP and are very

Muscular endurance is very important for people playing sports and who have to sustain an activity for long periods of time. Muscular endurance is determined by how well your slow twitch muscle fibers are developed. In case your wondering what slow twitch muscle fibers are, I will explain. There are generally two types of muscle fibers in your body, slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch muscle fibers cannot exert as much force as fast twitch, but can sustain an effort over a much greater period of time. Fast twitch muscle fibers can exert a great amount of force but for a very limited amount of time. Therefore, slow twitch equals endurance, while fast twitch equals strength.

With age, changes to the body may result in slower heart rate as the heart muscles degenerate slightly.