Many people think of physiotherapy as a temporary treatment for specific injuries, but visiting a physiotherapist regularly can be a vital way to prevent injury and optimise overall health and wellbeing. This is especially true for senior women who are more susceptible to mobility problems than others. Here are four reasons why women over 60 can benefit from regular physiotherapy appointments.
1. Women lose more muscle mass as they age due to menopause
Both men and women find that they gradually lose strength and flexibility as they get older, but for women these problems can be more severe due to menopause. A natural decline in oestrogen levels during menopause leads to a drop in muscle mass, strength, and bone mass density, which in turn can cause mobility problems and an increased risk of injuries. Physiotherapy can help to alleviate these problems by taking a proactive approach to musculoskeletal health.
2. Physiotherapy can help you maintain your independence
It’s common for seniors to lose their independence due to mobility problems, and it can be frustrating to have to rely on others to get out and about. Keeping a good range of movement is important for maintaining independence in our senior years, and physiotherapy can help with this. A physiotherapist can show you how to do gentle, low-impact exercises to keep your muscles strong and your joints mobile so that you can stay active as you age. They can also help you improve strength and stamina for specific activities, such as a new sport or hobby.
3. Physiotherapy can complement medical treatment
Physiotherapists are trained in anatomy, biomechanics, rehabilitation, and many other aspects of biology to understand how the human body functions. They tend to work closely with physicians to treat and manage musculoskeletal injuries in their patients. If you have an ongoing health condition that is affecting your mobility, your physician can work in tandem with a physiotherapist to help you manage that condition as best as possible. They can also recognise when you could benefit from other types of treatment, such as massage or acupuncture, and refer you to an appropriate treatment provider. This type of integrative treatment could help you get the best possible results.
4. Staying active can prevent dementia
Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and other instances of neurodegeneration are common symptoms of ageing, but there’s strong evidence that regular exercise can prevent or reduce cognitive decline later in life. It’s thought that declining vascular function leads to impaired blood flow throughout the brain. Exercise is important for maintaining good vascular health, and by exercising regularly it could be possible to optimise brain blood flow and keep cognitive problems at bay.
One of the reasons why we tend to exercise less as we get older is that we lose muscle tone and flexibility in our joints. By visiting a physiotherapist, you can maintain or improve muscle and joint health in order to exercise regularly and optimise brain health.
Protect your health with physiotherapy
There are many benefits of physiotherapy for women over 60, so if you want to optimise your health and maintain your independence as you age, consider visiting a physiotherapist on a regular basis.
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