Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2026
12:59
Improving Strength, Power, Muscle Aerobic Capacity, and Glucose Tolerance through Short-term Progressive Strength Training Among Elderly People
Published on: July 5, 2017
Bone rigidity to neuromuscular performance ratio in young and elderly men
T Rantalainen1, H Sievänen, V Linnamo
1Neuromuscular Research Centre, Department of Biology of Physical Activity, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. timo.j.rantalainen@jyu.fi
Bone
|July 28, 2009
Summary
Aging bone experiences reduced loading and strain despite maintained bone structure. This suggests decreased mechanosensitivity or altered physical performance representation in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Gerontology
- Orthopedics
Background:
- Bone loss typically lags behind physical performance decline in aging.
- Bone's responsiveness to mechanical loading may decrease with age.
- The bone to lean body mass ratio appears constant throughout adulthood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between age and the bone to neuromuscular performance ratio.
- To compare bone structural traits and neuromuscular performance between young and elderly men.
Main Methods:
- Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) measured bone structural traits at the tibia.
- Maximal section modulus (Z(max50)), total area (ToA(d)), cortical area (CoA(50)), total density (ToD(d)), and cortical density (CoD(50)) were determined.
- Neuromuscular performance was assessed via vertical ground reaction force (GRF) during hopping.
Main Results:
- Younger men exhibited significantly higher maximal GRF than older men.
- Younger men had smaller total bone area but higher total bone density.
- Compressive and tensile strain indices were significantly higher in younger subjects.
Conclusions:
- The age-related difference in the bone to loading ratio at the tibial mid-shaft exceeds expectations based on delayed bone adaptation alone.
- Potential explanations include reduced mechanosensitivity with aging or altered representation of bone loading by maximal physical performance.
- Constant safety factors to functional strains may necessitate maintaining this ratio.
Related Concept Videos
01:11Alterations in Muscle Tone lll
Rigidity and myotonia are distinct abnormalities of muscle tone that affect resistance and relaxation during movement. Although both involve altered muscle contraction, they arise from different neurological and muscular mechanisms.CharacteristicsRigidity is characterized by uniform resistance to passive movement across the entire range, independent of speed, affecting flexors and extensors equally. It may appear as lead-pipe rigidity (smooth, constant resistance) or cogwheel rigidity...
01:29Bone Disorders
Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
01:29Relaxation of Skeletal Muscles
The period of muscle contraction primarily influences the duration of stimulation at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the presence of free calcium ions in the sarcoplasm, and the availability of energy or ATP to support contractions.
When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it depolarizes the membrane and opens voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium ions enter the cell, further depolarizing the presynaptic membrane. This depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open.
When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it depolarizes the membrane and opens voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium ions enter the cell, further depolarizing the presynaptic membrane. This depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open.
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
Exercise induces a range of adaptations in muscle tissue, depending on the type and duration of activity. Such physical training can be broadly categorized into two types: endurance exercises and resistance exercises.
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
01:12Alterations in Muscle Tone ll
Alterations in muscle tone are common manifestations of neurological disorders and reflect dysfunction within different nervous system regions. Spasticity, paratonia, and dystonia represent distinct forms of hypertonia, each with unique mechanisms, clinical features, and diagnostic importance.CharacteristicsSpasticity happens from upper motor neuron lesions and is characterized by velocity-dependent resistance to passive movement. Clinical features include:Exaggerated deep tendon reflexesClonus...