Spring is in full bloom, and it is a good time to go out and exercise. Experts suggest that people who go out to exercise, especially the elderly, should be careful of the risk of osteoporosis and other diseases if they find that they have difficulty walking, cannot walk far, or walk shortly.

Xu Hailin, chief physician of the Department of Orthopedics at Peking University People's Hospital, said that shortening walking distance and declining walking ability may be a sign of bone health problems, and "whether you can walk" can be used as an important reference to measure bone health. In addition to calcium supplementation, older adults should pay special attention to strengthening muscle strength and balance training.

"Whether the walking ability is declining or not is usually judged comprehensively from the number of steps, gait speed, gait and other aspects of walking." Xu Hailin said that the decrease in the number of steps is a clear indicator of the decline in walking ability. Pace, on the other hand, is a reflection of cardiorespiratory fitness, joint mobility, and cognitive ability.

Xu Hailin believes that the elderly with normal gait are generally in good health, while the elderly with slow gait are more likely to develop osteoporosis. The stability of gait is closely related to factors such as muscle strength, balance and nervous system function, if the gait is obviously unstable when walking, it is necessary to beware of accidents such as falls, and also to check for related diseases.

Jia Rong, deputy chief physician of the Department of Geriatrics of Peking University People's Hospital, suggested that the most common diseases that cause walking disorders in the elderly are: lumbar intervertebral disc herniation and lumbar spinal stenosis, degenerative diseases and overstrain of lower limb joints, osteoporosis, etc. Among them, the most common people for osteoporosis are postmenopausal women and men over 70 years old.

Xu Hailin suggested that the elderly can use lightweight resistance tools such as elastic bands and sandbags to conduct resistance training according to their physical condition and under the guidance of doctors and other professionals to improve muscle strength and walking ability.

In addition, experts also recommend aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, jogging, tai chi, and square dancing for the elderly. Experts say that if the occurrence of walking disorder is related to aging, lack of exercise or disease, patients should communicate with doctors to formulate a reasonable plan, actively treat the underlying disease, strengthen exercise to improve muscle strength, and the problem of walking difficulty will be improved. According to Xinhua News Agency