The human body is an extremely efficient machine that recycles what’s not being used. My grandfather spent an entire year basically immobilized in the hospital, and his body began to consume its own muscle in order to stay alive. This situation made me feel terrible, because for as long as I could’ve known him, he was always doing something that involved movement, and he always preached to me and my brother about being active in our lives and to “constantly stay moving forward.” I watched my grandfather slowly lose the spark in his life as he was bound to a bed in a frigid room. What I was witnessing was his body going into muscle atrophy: the loss of muscle tissue, causing reduced strength, and size. This showed me that ultimately, the body will destroy its strength before giving away its life.
Let’s learn what causes muscle wasting. Disuse atrophy is a common cause of muscle wasting. Disuse atrophy is a condition in which muscles lose mass because of inactivity. Loss of skeletal muscle mass occurs frequently in clinical settings in response to joint immobilization and bed rest. Some of you may have experienced, or know someone who has had a major injury that has limited movement. When someone is going through this, muscle atrophy occurs as the body is unable to receive mechanical tension from that area, which is why you see injured patients not only lose muscle in the wounded area, but their entire body.
If you are reading this and are on a sports team at Tallwood High School, it would be good to know that sports can help prevent muscle atrophy because it helps improve your body’s ability to convert nutrients into usable energy. If you aren’t on any sports team, you may be doing extracurricular activities that require movement and physical strain; that can also help you convert nutrients into usable energy.
Sarcopenia is the age related loss of muscle mass; this condition lowers hormone levels and is associated with weakness and fatigue. Even though conditions such as sarcopenia are associated with older people, there is around a 10% chance you may experience sarcopenia during your time at Tallwood. That’s why it’s important to learn how to prevent sarcopenia. Staying active, like going on walks, playing sports, and resistance training are all ways to reduce the risk of sarcopenia as you age.
Muscle atrophy can be scary; luckily, you learned how you can reduce the effects of muscle atrophy by moving around. Even though you are still in high school, watching for early signs, like unusual weakness during everyday tasks, or a noticeable loss in muscle mass or size, gives you a better chance at preserving strength over time. This can delay onset of conditions like sarcopenia before they even begin. By staying active, you aren’t just building muscle for today, you are protecting your body’s mobility and strength later on as well. So next time you think about skipping P.E class, remember that movement is essential for muscle preservation and protein synthesis.
