Muscle Health May be Informed by Activity Level Rather than Aging Process

MedicalXpress | By King’s College London

A new study comparing muscle structure between active and inactive people has found that older people who regularly do endurance exercise maintain similar muscle characteristics to younger counterparts.

Researchers learned that, when compared to inactive people, those who regularly do endurance exercise maintain muscle fiber size better. In older active people, the arrangement of muscle fiber nuclei, which act as the control centers for muscle tissue, was also more similar to younger counterparts.

Endurance exercise refers to any aerobic exercise sustained over an extended period of time that improves the endurance of the cardiovascular or muscular system. Examples include cycling, running, and even walking.

The study, published in Experimental Physiology and led by Dr. Matthew Stroud, Senior Lecturer at the School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences, used advanced 3D microscopy imaging to analyze the structure of muscles.

Samples were taken from people who do and do not regularly do endurance exercise in both younger and older people for an analysis and comparison. For untrained individuals, the aging process affected muscle fiber size and the myonuclei. However, there was found to be zero correlation between aging and these aspects of the muscles for people who exercised.

These findings suggest that inactivity has a more pronounced effect on muscle fibers and myonuclear parameters than simply getting older. This means that if people stay active as they age, the size of their muscles are more likely to be maintained, and the distribution of myonuclei, which control muscle function, might not deteriorate as much as they would if they were inactive.

"Maintaining muscle fiber size, and control of the cell via myonuclei, might contribute to maintaining muscle function, which could be particularly beneficial as part of the body's response to the natural decline in muscle mass during aging. This may ultimately help to maintain the function of muscle into older age, thereby improving independence and quality of life," says Dr. Edmund Hugh Battey, former Ph.D. student in Dr. Stroud's lab at King's.

"The association between endurance exercise and these potential muscular benefits suggests a possible avenue for mitigating age-related muscle deterioration, though further research is necessary to fully understand this relationship."

By discovering a new potential mechanism in which exercise support healthy muscles, particularly into old age, the authors hope that it can help the scientific community understand how to maintain good muscle health as we get older.

More information: Edmund Battey et al, Muscle fibre size and myonuclear positioning in trained and aged humans, Experimental Physiology (2024). DOI: 10.1113/EP091567

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New Episode Alert: Dive into Episode 2 of 'Home on the Go'

SEASON 1 EPISODE 2 - OUT NOW!
In home health, we frequently work and interact with the caregivers of medically complex and fragile patients. These caregivers are often tasked with daily management of medications, appointments, insurance coverage, ADLs and IADLs, and more, all without formal education or support regarding these tasks. Many caregivers have little to no support network, and all of this combined can quickly lead to overwhelm and burnout. The combination of a lack of training and support for caregivers can lead to potentially negative effects and outcomes for both patients and home health organizations. 

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Meet Your APTA Home Health Government Affairs Co-Chairs

Happy Spring from the newly appointed APTA Home Health Government Affairs Co-Chairs, Eva Norman, PT, DPT, CEEAA and Denise Wentzell-Yonkovich, PT, DSc, CEEAA! Here is a short introduction:

Eva Norman has been a member of APTA Home Health since 2004. She is currently serving as the APTA Home Health Federal Affairs Liaison and APTA Home Health Delegate since January 2023. She owns a private practice in MN and FL specializing in wellness, preventative and health promotion services for the aging population called Live your Life. Due to a life altering event when she was 13 years old when a physical therapist saved her life, she has been giving back to the profession she loves through her service. In wanting to make a difference by giving her patients a voice, she became an advocate as a student and has attended her state and Washington DC Capitol Hill Days for over 20 years. Her motto is “Learn-Educate-Advocate, Physical Therapy & Your Patients are Counting on You!”

Denise Wentzell-Yonkovich has been a practicing physical therapist for over 30 years and an APTA member since the beginning. Her experience is in outpatient orthopedics, education, and in the last twelve years, home health. Denise became interested in the “politics” of the profession when she was completing her Doctorate research on Direct Access and the DPT degree. She started following trends and began advocating for the PT profession by writing letters to her representatives and Senators in her state on different topics. Over the last several years, the recent changes to the Medicare payment schedule and reimbursement have spurred Denise to being more involved. She is hoping to learn as much as she can as she is mentored in this role and to be able to be a resource and a voice for the physical therapy profession.

Members, we encourage you to join the APTA Advocacy Network. By joining our grassroots, you can stay connected and engaged on the current issues of the profession.  It is free to participate and easy to join. Simply download APTA Action App,  select Advocacy Network Signup, and join.  Participants will receive special updates and action alerts when we need your voice to be heard. The email will contain information about the current issue or bill that the APTA is seeking support from Congress along with a prepared letter/template for the participant to send automatically to their US Senators and Representatives.  It’s that easy! Our letters have helped pass important legislation over the years so let’s keep the momentum going! Join now and let YOUR voice be heard.

Reach out to us should you have any questions or concerns. Thank you in advance for your advocacy!

Sincerely,

Eva Norman [email protected]
Denise Wentzell-Yonkovich [email protected]
APTA Home Health GAC Co-Chairs

APTA Advocacy Network Newsletter — March 2024 Edition 

Advocacy Marches On 

Spring is in the air. Clocks have sprung forward an hour, March Madness brackets are on the mind, and in Washington, D.C., the cherry blossom peak bloom speculation has begun. 

On Capitol Hill, it has been an intense start to spring as policymakers on both sides of the aisle worked to formulate and pass a bipartisan agreement to keep the government funded and address the Medicare payment cut that went into effect Jan. 1, impacting dozens of providers, including physical therapists. In February, we saw 32 senators come together in a bipartisan effort via a letter to congressional leadership urging more funding for the 2024 fee schedule and saying that such a fix must be included in any spending deal. APTA also advocates made their voices heard in record numbers, demanding that Congress include a fix to the Medicare fee schedule in the spending package deal, and they were successful. 

On March 7, Congress passed a funding package that prevents a government shutdown and provides over $730 million in additional funding (a 1.68% increase to the fee schedule’s conversion factor that impacts payments to all providers) for the 2024 Medicare fee schedule to mitigate cuts. The additional funding provided by Congress will reduce, but not totally eliminate, the entire 3.37% facing a wide range of providers.

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