The older you get, the hunchback you get. How can we prevent it? Four suggestions for the elderly at home

Under normal circumstances, the height of people over 80 years old will be shorter than when they were young 10- 15 cm. What happened? Why does the height shrink when you get older?

1, osteoporosis

The part that bears the weight of the upper body is our spine. The older you get, the faster the bone matrix and minerals in bone tissue are lost, the more brittle the bones are, and the lower the bending resistance is. Then under the influence of its own gravity, the spine will bulge backward, and the vertebral body will flatten or deform, forming a hunchback.

This situation did not happen suddenly, but gradually formed. After the spinal support decreases, people's backs will become camel and short.

In fact, osteoporosis has no obvious symptoms in the early stage, but it has been affecting our bodies. Many people don't realize that they have osteoporosis until their bones become brittle and cause symptoms of fracture or bone pain.

Therefore, people over the age of 50 should have an annual bone mineral density examination to prevent osteoporosis as soon as possible, so as to avoid sudden fractures.

2, muscle relaxation

When you get older and exercise less, your muscles and ligaments will become more and more relaxed, and your muscle elasticity will become worse. Without the support of muscles and ligaments, the spine will continue to bend, people will hunch over, and their external image will become shorter and fatter.

People with muscle weakness are not only the elderly, but also office workers and student parties who don't like sports. Coupled with the bad habit of young people always playing with their heads down, the problem of hunchback and round shoulders will be more serious, and their height will become shorter and shorter unconsciously.

3, intervertebral disc degeneration

There is an intervertebral disc between every two vertebral bodies in the human body, which consists of an annular cross-shaped fibrous ring and a white elastic nucleus pulposus. The fibrous ring is wrapped around the nucleus pulposus to prevent the nucleus pulposus from protruding. The function of intervertebral disc is to connect vertebral body and bear pressure, so as to facilitate the movement of spine.

But the older you get, the more dehydrated the nucleus pulposus will be, and the intervertebral disc will gradually age and become smaller and thinner day by day. There are 23 intervertebral discs in the human body. If each intervertebral disc is thin 1 mm, the height of the whole person will drop by 2.3 cm. In other words, the thinner and smaller the intervertebral disc, the shorter the height will become.

Methods to prevent humpback from becoming shorter;

Osteoporosis is the chief culprit that makes parents short and hunched, so as long as they stay away from osteoporosis, their height will not shrink.

(1) Balanced diet

Eat more foods with high calcium content, such as lean meat, vegetables, bean products and seafood. Don't forget to drink a glass of low-fat and high-calcium milk every day to supplement vitamin D3 and calcium. Milk is easier to absorb than bone soup! It's best not to drink carbonated drinks and drink less coffee.

(2) Keep exercising.

People who seldom exercise will lose bone calcium faster and faster. Persisting in exercise can slow down the loss of bone calcium and promote the absorption of calcium. Older people can choose more relaxing sports, such as playing ball, walking, Tai Chi, square dance and so on. It is recommended to exercise 2-5 times a week for more than 30 minutes each time.

(3) Get more sunshine.

Vitamin D can promote the absorption and utilization of calcium. Sunbathing every day can promote the synthesis of vitamin D. When the weather is hot, you can choose to sunbathe in a ventilated and direct sunlight place for 30 minutes; In winter, the light intensity is weak, so you can get more sunshine.

(4) Scientific medication

Drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis should not be used casually, but should be taken correctly at the doctor's suggestion after the doctor has diagnosed osteoporosis. Postmenopausal women can supplement appropriate estrogen according to the doctor's advice.

Conclusion: As children, we also feel distressed when we see our parents shrinking in height and hunched over. In order to make parents stronger, it is better to let them pay attention to preventing osteoporosis from now on!