Yuan Chao, director of the Department of Vertebrate Speciality of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that there are two types of elderly people who are not suitable for walking. One is the elderly with low back pain. With the increase of age, the spinal canal of the elderly will become narrower, and long-term walking will aggravate the compression of spinal nerves. Therefore, the elderly with low back pain should not walk for a long time and with high intensity. After walking for a period of time, take a proper rest and try to walk on the flat ground. The second type is elderly people with arthritis. Old people with this disease are not suitable for walking for a long time because of joint wear, and should be avoided as much as possible.
Below, Yuan Chao introduces several ways suitable for the elderly to walk.
The speed of ordinary walking is 60 steps per minute, 20 ~ 30 minutes each time. It is suitable for the elderly suffering from coronary heart disease, hypertension, sequelae of cerebral hemorrhage and respiratory diseases.
Walk fast with your head held high, taking 90 ~ 120 steps per minute for 30 ~ 60 minutes at a time, and walking 5~7 kilometers per hour. It is suitable for elderly patients with gastrointestinal diseases in convalescence and those who need to lose weight.
When walking with the swing arm, the two arms swing greatly with the pace rhythm, swinging back and forth alternately, so as to maintain the balance of the body and increase the range of motion of the shoulders. 60 ~ 90 steps per minute. It can enhance the function of bones and joints and chest cavity, and prevent and treat scapulohumeral periarthritis, emphysema, chest distress and chronic bronchitis in the elderly.
Shake your head and pace slowly. When pacing, raise your head, lower your head and slowly swing left and right. You can exercise your neck while pacing. It should be noted that the amplitude of shaking your head should not be large and the speed should be extremely slow. Pay attention to the surrounding environment when pacing to avoid accidents. This method is effective for elderly patients with cervical spondylosis.
For some elderly people who like to walk backwards, Yuan Chao doesn't recommend it. Because the old man walks backwards, there is a great chance of falling. Once you fall, it will cause a hip fracture, which will have a bad impact on the quality of life of the elderly.
Yuan Chao reminded that the elderly should pay attention to the following points when walking. 1. When walking, choose the time, intensity and distance that you can adapt to, and don't exercise too much. 2. The walking ground must be flat. When walking, the old man should hold his head high, swing his arms with the pace, and don't carry his hands behind his back, because it is not easy to keep his balance. The place for walking should be in the fresh air. 5. Take a walk for 30-60 minutes.
Tutor/Yuan Chao, Dean of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Director of Chinese Medicine Department.
Correspondent/Bian Jianghong
Figure/source network
Editor/Zhu